Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails
by purpledragon6
Summary: A collection of one-shots in which Mr. Peabody become over protective of his adoptive child, ranging from when the child is a baby and up until now. Contains a few spoilers from the movie.
1. Lullabye for a Stormy Night

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm back with another PBS fic. This one shows a lot of over-protective Mr. Peabody and is based off of a photo I saw on Deviantart. I thought that it was too cute so I had to write about it XD **

**Plot: One-shots of Mr. Peabody being over-protective of his boy, Sherman. Ranges through the years of Sherman being a baby, all the way to present day. Contains a few spoilers to the movie, but not much. Nothing you haven't already seen in the previews. **

* * *

**A Dog and His Puppy:**

He really shouldn't be allowing this. If he allowed it now when the baby was young then it would be all the more difficult to teach him not to later on in life. He knew that this would be the case and yet he allowed it anyway for some reason. With a huff, Peabody looked back down at the small tuft of red-hair curled up at his side. This red-headed lump was Peabody's adopted baby, Sherman.

"I will give him one more hour, then I'll take him back to his crib." Peabody muttered as he went back to reading his book, which ended up being a parenting guide.

The baby beside him began to whimper. Frowning, the older man reached over and stroked the baby's back in a comforting way until the whimpers stopped. With a heavy sigh, Peabody attempted to return to his book. It had been three days since he began this book and he still was not yet finished with it. This was due to Sherman, who every night at bedtime, chose this time to become frightened of one thing or another. The only time the baby would be calm was when he was in his adopted father's bedroom.

"I simply can not understand this." The dog spoke alloud again, sitting up a little as he scooped the baby up into his arms. "How a change of bed could calm a child."

He could only think of a few explinations to this though. If anything sharp or uncomfortable was in the cradle, then it could cause discomfort. This probably wasn't the case, as the dog had double checked the bed before he placed his son in it each time. The other thing he could think of was, perhaps the child's bedroom was to dark. Compared to the over-head lights in his room after all, the small night lamp in Sherman's was nothing more than a lightning bug.

"I should really look into buying Sherman another nightlight." Again, there he was talking to himself and trying to make sense of things.

Shaking his head, he looked at the bedside clock, its bright letters reading **11:00pm. **He only had one hour to figure out what was bothering the baby before sending him back to his own cradle. Glancing back to the book in his hands, he flipped to the table of contents and looked for a section that might be helpful. After a bit of looking, he gave up and simply began to flip pages. One section in Chapter 11 stood out to him.

_**Comforts for Children; Ages 0-1:**_

"This is interesting." He mumbled, checking on Sherman yet again before reading through the passage.

**_'As strange as it may seem, baby's can actually recognize their parents based off of their scent. This often is comforting to the child and reminds them that mommy and daddy is nearby them,'_**

Peabody hadn't noticed this until now, but other than whimpering, there was another noise that Sherman would make. Looking down, he noticed that Sherman was making that noise again. It was a soft, little, sniffing sound. After the boy did this, he would curl up again and fall back asleep. The dog was seemingly amazed by this simple action, and smiled warmly as he set the book aside and cradled the child close to his chest. He had an idea now of what he could do for Sherman.

Taking the baby back into his own bedroom, Peabody carefully placed Sherman back into his crib and tucked him in. Per usual, the baby began to kick and make a fuss. Putting his idea into action, Peabody removed the red bow-tie he would usually wear, and placed it in the child's arms. Instantly, the baby hugged it close to his chest and the fussing stopped.

"I can't believe it." The dog said with a smile. "That actually worked."

With that being said, he turned on his heels and exited the bedroom and made his way towards his own. He was about to get ready for bed when he noticed something. Storm clouds were beginning to roll over the night time sky. A thunderstorm would be beginning soon, and instantly Peabody's eyes darted to the spot on his bed where he usually would put Sherman at for the past three nights. The first hum of thunder rang through the house and he swore he could almost hear Sherman's eyes flutter open at this, the bow tie probably laying at his side and not providing the comfort he would need to get through this storm.

"Nope. I can not allow it." The dog said sternly to no one in perticular. "If I do, then he'll never sleep in his own bed."

The first of the rain dropplets began to hit and slide down the window. The dog stood there firmly, simply staring at the drops as if that would make them go away. At that moment, he heard Sherman's tiny yip (yes, the boy yipped) coming from the other room. He was suddenly back in the baby's room as the first flash of lightning streaked across the sky and back in his own bedroom in half that time. Carefully, he laid the baby down in his respective spot and then tucked him in.

"One more night won't hurt."


	2. Dog Days

**A/N: Hey guys. This chapter was suggested by Undercover Reader (Thank you for the suggestion and review sweety) **

**Chapter Plot: Every child gets sick, and its only in the parent's nature to care for them until they are well again. Its just in their nature. **

**P.S: In this one they have neighbors in this one but they are total assholes. **

* * *

It was normal, if not healthy for a child to cry and it was also normal for their skin to be pink as long as the color isn't dark or varying. It was however, not normal for a child to cry for what seemed like hours on end and to have bright redish-pink blotches adorning their skin. Mr. Peabody knew this, and he also knew that those were usually tell tale signs that the child was ill. So here he found himself, at eight o'clock at night, attempting to deal with a sick child. Or rather, a sick baby in this case.

"No, they're just pink." He said into the phone that was held awkwardly between his shoulder and ear and even more awkwardly held his crying child. "Like fever spo- What shade? I'm not sure actually, I would say almost a rose pink... If that makes sense."

"Like real rose pink, or like strawberry pocky pink?"

"Wha- I don't even know what that is!" Peabody called into the phone, trying to be louder than Sherman's cries so the doctor could hear him. "Its just pink. Like those flowers of fifty-seventh street."

"Never been there. Whats the child's temperature?" The doctor on the other end asked next and that statement alone caused the dog to pale a bit. "Do you have a child-thermometer?"

"Actually, I don't." He admitted sheepishly while walking over to a nearby sticky note pad and marking it down, though the lack of an secure arm cause Sherman to cry louder. "You can buy those at a general store, correct?"

"You can, and I highly suggest you do that now before it closes." The doctor responded, rushing in one last thing before he hung up. "Call me back after you've done that."

The dog huffed and hung up the phone and then unceremoniously dropped it on the coffee table. Shaking his head, he picked up Sherman's blanket from the couch and swaddled the baby with it. Sherman, in turn, began to cry at a softer tone, making his crying all the more bearable. Though Peabody didn't feel comfortable taking the baby out this late at night, he knew that it had to be done. With this in mind, he gathered up both Sherman and his wallet and walked towards the front door of his penthouse. After this, it was just one quick elevator ride down to the first floor, or at least it would be until Sherman took this time to start bawling his eyes out in the crowded elevator.

"Could you please shut him up?" A man in a business suit muttered, giving the pair a scornful gaze.

"I didn't even know they let children in this building." Another said with a shake of the head. "Let alone babies."

"Is there something wrong with it?" Holy crap! There were only on the floor below the penthouse! How much longer was this going to take!? If Peabody wasn't so peace-loving then he would have told those prissy attendants to go shove it and to leave his poor boy alone. Instead, he took the obvious route and with a smirk, executed his plan.

"Yes. There is something wrong with him." Mr. Peabody muttered as he attempted to shush the baby by rocking him. "He is **_sick_** if you must know."

That shut everyone up and got them all to press to one side of the elevator, now terrified of the sick child. All except one, but Peabody didn't pay her any mind. Instead, he stood glaring up at the floor levels that were highlighted in bright red lights. Sherman took this moment to cough hard and then burst into another set of tears.

"Shh, its alright Sherman." Peabody muttered as he attempted to calm the child. "You're okay. Daddy has you..."

While other's cringed a bit at this sight, the woman that still stood next to the pair smiled. She then knelt so that she could be eye level with them and could speak a few words of encouragement. Peabody turned to her when he felt her presence and studied the woman's face. She was a young woman about twenty, with filmy grey eyes and a messy bun of sandy curls tied up on her head. She was dressed in a casual shirt and tight black pants.

"I take it it's his first time getting sick. Its never fun at any age." She said sweetly, ruffling the baby's hair gently. "I think its the one time that a child needs their parents the most."

Her cool hands seemed to calm Sherman a bit, now that his face wasn't so warm. In the background, the elevator dinged to the fifth floor and the doors opened, instantly, everyone expect for the dog, his pup, and the woman, left in a hurry. The door closed again and continued its decent down the elevator shaft, slowly making its way down to the main level. This gave the two adults time to swap parenting advice, well sort of.

"Cool washcloths normally help." The woman was saying, "It works wonders when they're teething as well."

"That's very interesting, I'll have to try that." Peabody said, attempting to appear interested but was also trying to calm a fussy Sherman, who by now had spit up on himself and was now crying again. _'Oh God, this is going to be a long night..."_

"Can I try something?" The woman asked, and while the dog was a bit uncomfortable with having a stranger hold his child, he eventually (and very carefully) set the baby in the other's arms.

They were in an elevator after all, so there really wasn't much harm she could do in the enclosed space. Gently, the woman held Sherman so that his face was over her shoulder and her arms held him in place. One hand was under him and the other was placed on his back. She began to rock him back and forth carefully while patting his back gently. Mr. Peabody took note of the hold as well as the floor number. They were only at level three when she handed him back.

"You seem to know a lot about children." Peabody commented as he held Sherman in a similar hold as earlier.

"My little girl is four." The woman explained as the elevator finally came to a stop on the first floor. "My name is Source, er nickname is at least, by the way. I live on the sixth floor."

"Peabody, and it was very nice to meet you." The dog responded with a nod as he stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the exit of the building without another word.

The motorcycle seemed like a bad idea today, so a taxi-cab was hailed instead. This ride was shorter than the elevator ride and luckily Sherman had fallen asleep and did not cry. However, the driver kept on shooting them odd gazes through the rear-view mirror. His beady blue eyes seemed to bore holes into the dog's emerald ones. Peabody took this time to pay close attention to his son and cradled him even closer to his chest and nuzzled him in an attempt to calm him.

"And heres your stop." The taxi driver commented in his thick accent, turning to face the dog. "Should I keep the meter running or are you going to be a while?"

"I just need two things and then I will be out." Peabody replied, getting out quickly with Sherman and rushing into the store.

It was late as far as the store was concerned, so only a few cashiers and a customer or two were present in the entire store. The overhead music just made the whole place feel washed out and even more vacant. This made the dog all the more eager to get the hell out of the there and return home, so he quickly darted to the baby section. A pack of wash clothes were taken from their spot on the rack and upon arriving at the thermometer section, the dog found himself at a lose. There was the traditional glass one, but then there was also an odd blue one that looked like a hot-glue gun only the tip was yellow.

"Now... How would you use these?" He muttered as he took the two devices into his hands and flipped them around in his paws, looking for instructions.

Luckily, there was an employee nearby who noticed the dog's look of confusion and was happy to assist him. One scaring instruction lesson on both devices and Mr. Peabody decided that the blue one was best because it didn't require- Never mind. After this, he was pointed in the direction of a baby medicine isle and picked up the pink cough syrup that was safe for children of all ages and headed for the check out. His total was $22.50 (the thermometer cost a lot) and his total for the cab ride was $15.45. Regardless of the cost, he was just relieved that Sherman and him had gotten back home safety and with one quick elevator trip (yes this time it was quick) the two returned to their penthouse and entered the house.

"Now, lets see here..." Peabody muttered as he set Sherman down in his play swing and opened the thermometer box. "It needs double A batteries-"

He face palmed when he realized that not only was that the one thing he didn't have, but also that one of his only options now was to go out and buy them at the general store which would require another trip in that damn elevator. Deciding that risking another trip would be the death of him, he looked around the room, picked up the TV remote and opened it up in what he thought was a clever idea. With the thermometer ready to go, he went over to Sherman and slid the yellow top into the baby's ear and waited.

"98.9...99.2...99.9" He read aloud as the thermometer began to beep, singling its completion.

Muttering the number aloud so he would remember it, he quickly picked his phone up from the table and phoned the pediatrician. The call went through almost instantly and luckily, the doctor was still in, even at this late hour.

"Took you long enough. I thought after a while that you were trying to invent your own thermometer." The doctor's first commented was before he decided to turn semi-serious again. "What did it say?"

"99.9 degrees." Peabody answered, putting the phone between his shoulder and ear and using his free hands to hand Sherman a toy and to take out the pack of washcloths. "Now a woman on the elevator suggested washcloths, is that a-"

"Yes, its a good idea. It'll help bring his fever down." The doctor cut in suddenly. "Now do you own All Child's Cough Syrup?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Peabody said as he went to the kitchen and stuck one of the clothes under the cool running tap.

"Half of a spoon full every four hours and he should be fine." The doctor said quickly, "If not then bring him to my office if it gets worse."

Mr. Peabody listened while wringing out the towel and while placing it on Sherman's forehead. He frowned at the thought of him not getting better as he measured out the cough syrup and after many tries, finally got the baby to swallow it. After getting off the phone with the doctor, the dog collected the baby into his arms and rocked him until he fell asleep. He remembered what the woman had said about a child needing their parents the most at times like this.

"You're okay, Sherman." He would whisper whenever the child would whimper as he carried him over to his large sit-chair.

Sitting down carefully, the dog adjusted the baby so that he was comfortable and carefully reached over to the chair-side table and picked up a novel he had left there earlier. He ran a hand over the hard-cover of the book and flipped to the page he had left off on. The Great Gatsby it was called, and while it was not one of his favorites, it was a good read. Sherman coughed hard and sneezed softly, instantly waking from his sleep and whimpering loudly. The dog frowned and wiped the baby's nose with another washcloth before sitting the child on his lap.

"Come now, Sherman." The dog said gently. "Lets read a story."

The pair ended up staying up long into the night, but luckily by the third does of medicine and the fourth cloth, Sherman's temperature before to go down and he was finally able to sleep. It hadn't been an easy night, and Peabody knew that it wouldn't be the only night like this and that research on this sort of thing would be best. It would still be stressful the next time Sherman got sick, but it would be easier than it was this time if the right amount of thought was put into it. Looking down at his now sleeping son, the dog smiled and knew that any amount of stress would be worth it. As long as his baby would be well again, then it was all worth it.


	3. One After The Other

**A/N: Another idea from my lovely reviewers ^^ **

**Chapter Plot: One of the hassles of being a parent is keeping your child clean and fed. **

**Next Chapter Preview: Peabody's Guide to Censorship.**

**P.S: Remember Peabody's neighbor in 'Dog Days'? I am thinking of including her in a couple of chapters but only if you guys want me to. These chapters may include: **

**Guide to Censorship, That Crazy Neighbor, and Play Date.**

* * *

He could not understand it. The food wasn't poison and was designed to be virtually tasteless, and when his boy was avoiding it like it was the plague. So far Sherman had done everything and anything to avoid the food from getting to his mouth. This including; Covering his mouth, slapping the spoon away, and then throwing the bowl onto the floor. At one point he even used the plastic tray on his high-chair as a shield. This of course, all resulted in a very large mess on both the floor and on the baby.

"Come on, Peabody. You are a genius." The dog spoke to himself as he set the jar of baby food onto the kitchen counter. "Surely you can think of some way to feed a baby."

At that moment, he suddenly found himself blinded by a mash of green and orange, which he soon recognized to be peas and carrots. Which in all honesty, he never thought that was that bad when he was a pup. This got him to thinking and as he took off his glasses to clean them, he began to think back to his childhood and began to search for an answer. He remembered his mother feeding him (Or at least trying to get him to eat from a dog bowl), and just like Sherman, he had been unsure at first. That is, until he saw his mother eating the food as well.

'Ugh... The things I do for this boy.' Peabody thought as he took another spoon full of baby food. "Like this Sherman."

Sherman watched in interest now. The dog hesitantly brought the spoon of food to his own mouth and cringed as he forced himself to eat the mush, though to the baby it just looked like eating. Meanwhile, Peabody was now rethinking everything he had thought earlier. The must was cold and bitter and tasted like artificial lemon powder. Not wanting to swallow it, he promptly walked over to sink, and proceeded to wash his mouth out with soap. An immature action to him was also a moment of desperation to get that taste as far away from his mouth as possible.

"They expect us to feed this to our children! No wonder he didn't want it!" He ranted to himself as he spit back into the sink, only turning around once when he heard Sherman laughing at his misery.

Frowning, he made a mental note to purchase a food processor and make all of Sherman's baby foods from now on. That would have to come later though, because he now saw what a mess the food had made of not only his kitchen but also of his baby. With a sigh, he figured it was time for Sherman's back and turned to the sink again. Then, he put the plug in it (after rinsing it of course) and began to fill it up with warm water.

"Come on, Sherman. Bath time." He announced as he lifted the baby out of the chair and brought him over to the sink.

"No!" The ginger boy frowned and kicked a little.

One thing he seemed to hate more than feeding time was bath time, and that was just fine with Peabody because the baby didn't get much a say in things anyway. So, despite Sherman's protests, he still found himself in the tub with soap bubbles in his hair. After this several cups of water were used to wash out the bubbles as well as anything on his face and body. He pouted and splashed water out as his adoptive father in an attempt to get back at him. This however, did nothing to phase the dog, who instead pulled out a rubber ducky from the cupboard and gave it to the baby to play with.

"No." Sherman said again, throwing the duck at Peabody.

It bounced off of his head and hit the floor with an annoying squeak. Regardless, the dog picked it up and plopped it back into the water. While still keeping an eye on Sherman, he took this chance to clean up some of the mess on the floor and the plastic try to the high chair. These were cleaned off with a damp rag which then found its place in the hamper. When this was done, the dog took another towel which had been placed on the counter earlier and used it to get the baby out of the tub.

"There, now was that so bad?" He cooed, smiling softly at his small child as he turned on his heels and made his way to the nursery.

A short sleeved, white onesie hung on a hook on the outside of the door. It was snatched up and taken in when the father and son entered the room. Upon entering, it was straight over to the changing table for a clean diaper for Sherman. There was just one problem though and that was the diaper that was chosen was a cloth one which required safety pins instead of just slipping on. Call the dog old fashioned, but he felt that cloth ones were far more covenant, even if they were difficult to put on.

"Hold still, Sherman." The dog as he attempted to pin the cloth together without pinning the baby.

Sherman though, began to make it a game of kicking the dog in the hand whenever he came close. This was either due to the child's fear of needles or his grudge about the bath and food. What ever the reason, the dog tried and failed yet again to get the diaper on.

"Sherman. If you don't stop then I'm going to have to do something that neither of us want to do." He said calmly to the child, hoping he would understand.

Trying again, the baby kicked the safety pin clear out of his hand that time and it promptly landed in a nearby garbage can. Taking this as a sign, Peabody rubbed his temple and decided to resort to desperate measures. So within half an hour, Sherman was in his crib for a nap. He wore a white, sleeveless onesie, and a diaper... Held together by duct tape. His adopted father watched him from his spot in the doorway, only to turn promptly on his heels to face the mess that was still in the kitchen. This included the first diaper/onesie, the wash cloth, the sink, the kitchen floor, and the dishes.

"I hear its not as bad when he turns two." Peabody muttered to himself, walking over to the sink, and getting to work on cleaning.


	4. Peabody's Guide to Censorship

**A/N: 'Peabody's Guide to Censorship' or 'Censorship for Dummies.'**

**Plot: Peabody films a detailed guide on how to censor your life for your children. *Guest appearance by the neighbor downstairs.**

***One floor above and one floor below - Peabody lives on the eigth and final floor and Source lives on the sixth floor. The neighbor is one floor above her and one floor below him.**

* * *

In New York, there is a penthouse apartment. In that apartment, there is a dog with a video camera and a script out in front of him. Sitting in his arm chair, positioned in front of the camera, he uses a remote control to hit the 'Record' button, and the video begins. It begins with the dog sitting with his legs folded, a dictionary in one paw, and an exacto-knife in the other.

"Hello everyone, Peabody here." He greets as he opens the dictionary and sets the knife inside. "Todays discussion is going to be about censorship and how to apply it into your daily lives."

With that being said, he set the dictionary aside and switched his legs so that one was folded over the other again. He then reaches off camera and lifts a baby boy up so that the camera can see him and then places him on his lap. The baby is seemingly mesmerized by the red light coming from the camera and he stops to watch it.

"This is Sherman. Say hello, Sherman." Peabody says but upon remembering that the baby is to little to talk, instead has him wave and then places him down onto the floor again. "Well, he can't say hello just yet, but when he can speak, there is a list of things I wish for him not to be able to say yet as well as a list of things I would not want him to see."

With that, he stood up and went to the center of the room while letting his words sink in.

"For example. Now, we all have that one neighbor whose lack of intelligence is an annoyance to us all." He says as he walks over to the counter and places the camera on it so it is pointed at the door. "What you are about to see is censorship at its best. With limited commentary from yours truly. So please sit back and enjoy the show."

* * *

_He gets up carefully and removes the camera from its stand, and at that moment, there is a knock at the door. Straightening his bowtie with one hand, he proceeds with the video as casually as possible. He opened the door and there was a very uptight looking business man standing in front of him. The man was dressed in a sharp blue suit and his hair was combed back against his skull. He looked as though he had just been sucking on a lemon by the way his tried to look disproving._

_"Why, hello Mr-" The dog was suddenly cut off by a hand being put in front of his face._

_"Don't 'hello' me, I am here with a complaint." The man said, inspecting his nails idly._

_"About?" The dog asked, folding his arms over his chest._

_"Some of the other attendants, mainly me, think that they may be allergic to that ginger thing. Yeah, He'll have to be removed from the apartment or I'll sue."_

_Peabody slowly turned towards the direction of the 'ginger-thing' as the man had put it and frowned. He then walked over to where Sherman was and picked him up. He then left the room and putting the baby back into his crib before returning to the neighbor._

_"Had to remove the baby from the room. He should not be exposed to such negativity and stupidity at such a young age." Peabody says, folding his hands together and pointed to the man. "Now, it there something else you needed that I could logically help you with. Because I doubt you are allergic to my child, as you are both human and your case would, in no way hold up in court even if you did try to sue me."_

_"Wah." The man blinked, not able to process what the dog had said but then realizes bits and pieces of it. "Oh, and I also came by to ask if I could borrow your weed-wacker."_

_"You do realize that this is an-" Peabody paused and then promptly shut the door and returned the living room. "Never mind... I have more important things to censor, such as- The TV."_

_The dog then walked casually over to the TV. It was currently set on the 'Parental Control' channel. The dog promptly picked up the remote, then set it down and went over and pulled the plug out of the TV as the entire screen when blank._

_"This is New York city and as a city that never sleeps, what on Earth do you need to TV for? Or magazines for that matter. You've got the outside world!" He questioned bluntly, shaking his head and going over to the nearby phone. "Now, do we all remember that idiot neighbor? Well often, we all have that one neighbor, who is smart enough to talk to as well as a good ear when it comes to relating the story back."_

_Sitting down, he began to dial a number and then put the phone up to his ear and waited for it to go through. During this time, he looked back up and then, putting the phone on speaker and holding it out, he began to speak again. What he didn't notice was that the call had gone through._

_"The person I am calling is my downstairs neighbor, Miss. Source. Lovely woman she is, and always a pleasure to talk to. But what does this have to do with censorship you may ask? Well, often when adults talk about other adults, a few foul words may be tossed about. Be sure to censor these words in case little ears are hearing."_

_"Um? Peabody, is that you?" A young woman's voice suddenly sounds through the phone, causing the dog to jump._

_"Oh, Source! Um- How much did you hear of that?" He asked in an embarrassed tone. _

_"Enough. But that's okay, whats up?" She asked, the crinkle of fabric heard next indicating that she had shifted the phone to her shoulder. _

_"Oh nothing, I thought I'd just call to complain about that new neighbor of ours. From one floor above and one floor below*" The dog explained. "He came up with this ridiculous story on how he was allergic to Sherman and would sue me if I did not get rid of him." _

_"Well that bastard. I had the same problem with him earlier, its like he just hates kids in general." Peabody held up one finger while she spoke, indicating that a non-censor word had been used and turning the phone away, he began the commentary. _

_"Source has just used the word, Bastard. There are common alternatives to avoid this word, such as-" He was cut off by the good neighbor's voice again. _

_"Are you still there?" She asked simply. _

_"Yes, and I do agree with you, Ma'am. That man is quite a ninny-hammer." He replied, only to get cut off yet again by a round of laughs from Source._

_"Did you- haha- seriously just say- *giggle* Ninny-Hammer? What is this, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings?" She managed before bursting into another fit of laughter. _

_"It wasn't that funny." Peabody muttered as he face palmed._

_"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh -hehe- Wooh... Anyway- I just made some sugar cookies with my baby. Mind if I bring some up?" _

_"Not at all, that would be lovely. I'll go open the door for you." He said, getting up and was about to walk to the door when he banged his foot on the edge of the chair. _

_He shut his mouth quickly and began to swear with his mouth closed as he hopped about in pain. Source was still on the other end of the phone and was now very confused. Not wanting to open his mouth to explain what happened, Peabody instead sent a simple text message to explain things: F*** D m^ it! That F***ing hurt! _

* * *

The video suddenly cuts back to Peabody, who has cut out the words 'Hate, Bitch, Butt, and Chocolate' from the dictionary.

"In conclusion. The cookies were delicious, and Sherman did not learn any bad or insolent words. Well, except for one, which he learned after the scene had been film."

Just then, Sherman crawled over to his adoptive father and put both of his tiny hands onto the other's foot and began to giggle happily before he spoke.

"Dadda!"


	5. Papa Wolf

**A/N: A short little update. I just saw the movie today with my sister and had to write this scene. **

**Plot: Peaody's thoughts right before he bit Ms. Grunion.**

**Warning: Some spoilers to the movie. Not word for word.**

**Additional Notes: This does take place a while into the future but then I'll return to his younger years. Unless you guys request an idea before hand which you have. **

* * *

She would dare to deem him an unfit parent. She dared to call his child a dog, not better than the one who raised him. She dared to side with that evil little girl, the same one who had harassed Sherman to the point of attacking, to not even listen to what the little boy had to say or even considering all that the dog had done for the boy! Including rescuing him from that dreaded alley and giving him the home and family that he deserved. She dared to do all that and still saw him to be the one at fault!

Regardless of what he thought though, Peabody could not intervene. He could not risk any further attention to his side of the argument, and risk it being used against him should he have to go to court again. Instead, the dog watched, pleading from his spot in the living room as he watched his boy getting dragged along like a lifeless ragdoll. He felt something bubble in his chest at the sight, and it was something he just could not explain.

"O-ow! You're hurting me!" Sherman cried, attempting to pull his arm away from the evil woman.

The woman turned to Sherman with a cold glare in her eyes and pulled hard on the boy's arm. He went stumbling forward, just narrowly hitting his face against the panel of the elevator before straightening himself out. Quickly, he turned to his adoptive father and cast him a quick glance. One that read 'Don't let this happen! Please, what ever happens, don't let them take me from you!'

"Mr. Peabody! Dad!" Sherman cried out suddenly, trying again to get his arm free.

"Sherman!" Peabody called back, save for the string of curses and other things he just wished to scream to the world right this very moment.

_'No! Please don't take him! He is all I have! He is the only family I have now, you can't take him! Not after all we've been through!' _The dog thought quickly, his heart hammering in his chest.

He knew that either way, spoken or thought; his words wouldn't make any difference right now. That woman was taking Sherman away and there was nothing he could do about it. She would not listen to either the parent, nor the child. She was willing to hurt one emotionally and one physically just to get her way. She didn't care if she was hurting either of them either. That one of them was only a child at a tender age, whose eyes already held great fear and despair.

_'That is my child! My puppy! I can't just stand here and let her take him. She'll take him to an awful place and he will get hurt. I just know it!'_

In that moment, Peabody looked quickly up into Sherman's eyes for what he felt would be the last time. They were still frozen with the unspoken words of 'Don't let this happen!' in them, and right when Peabody was about to give into defeat, something happened. Something in Peabody just snapped. He recognized that look anywhere. It was the same look that met his eyes for the first time seven years ago, back when he had first found Sherman. The look the little boy gave him the first time he was taken away, and the same one he gave him when both were frightened of the thought of losing the court case. Those same little eyes that reflected the dog's own so perfectly. They were the ones that he fell in love with upon first seeing them. They would always belong to the little boy he swore to protect all those years ago.

So why was he here now? Watching that dreaded woman hurt Sherman. His Sherman! His beloved child and pup!

Feeling that familiar bubble in his chest, something in Peabody just snapped. He began to growl, all of his senses set at protect as he balled up his fists. He didn't know what he was about to do next, but what he did know what that he was not about to let someone harm his puppy and get away with it. In a sudden moment of pure nerve and instinct, he jumped and the next thing he knew, his jaw was clamped down into the dark pink skin of the woman's wrist. A part of him knew that he would regret this action, but the part of him that was in control knew one thing and one thing only.

Sherman was away from that woman now. He was out of her grasp and he was safe. Even if it was only for a little while, at least his puppy was safe for now. Thats all that mattered. With a satisfied smirk, the dog withdrew himself from the woman's arm, glancing at his handy work of a bite mark that now stood out against her skin.

"Oh! He bit me!" The fat woman yelped, staring at the dog in bewilderment.

"Never. Touch. My child." The dog growled, his fur standing on end.

He looked over to his child, feeling himself flood with relief when he saw that he was okay and remembering the promise he had made all those years ago. He promised to protect this child with everything he had, and he didn't care what sort of authority that woman had over them. He promised he would keep him safe and he intended on keeping that promise. No matter what.


	6. A Thousand Years

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm back with a second PBS story. Now, I just found out what was wrong with my laptop charger because when I went to use it today, it popped up and said (Plugged in but not charging). So I have to take it in with the charger to get it looked at tomorrow but for now I have a loner battery that is fully charged to use for today. **

**Anywho, I am not the best at song fics, especially when I don't have the lyrics in front of me but luckily I have the song stuck in my head so I can manage.**

**Notes: THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE STORY! Okay, so I know the sound A Thousand Years is typically a love song, but I listened to the lyrics and after removing the music video, I've been able to put my own spin on it and make it a family fic. So don't let the title steer you wrong. **

**Question: Should I make this a drabble series or just keep it a one-shot?**

* * *

This was the moment of truth and despite the calm face that the dog put on, on the inside, his heart was beating like mad. He had already gone through half of the process of adoption. The colors for the baby's room had been picked and his handwritten promise to protect the child as his own had been sent to the adoption agency. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait for that phone call. After that, it was one more court date before he could finally bring the baby home. Simple enough right?

"Then why am I so worried?" He thought allowed as he looked down at the photo in his hands.

He had only visited the baby three times but already he loved him like his own. How could he love this child though, with the thought of it all falling through weighing over his head? It would be a stupid move on his end to get to attached, but he did. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that this possibility was very slim, after all, not only was he the one person that the child seemed to trust (he did save him from that box after all) and he was a model citizen. With that thought in mind, he took another sip of his tea and waited.

At that moment, the phone rang.

"Hello?" He answered, a slight break in his voice from his nervousness.

"Mr. Peabody?" A female's voice came through the other end.

He recognized this voice to be the head of the adoption agency and the one who got to decide if he was fit enough a parent to take the next step in the adoption. It was all up to her call now if he would be able to take one step back or one step closer in the process.

"This is he." The dog answered, his voice smoother now that he had calmed down a bit.

"I just called to tell you that your paperwork has been looked over an-" There was that pause, the one that could be either good or bad. "My assistant went over it first and he was a bit hesitant, claiming that he didn't see you as a fit enough person- well dog in this case."

"Is that so?" He felt a bit annoyed that the woman was now beating around the bush. "But what are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Personally, I've read through both your history and that of the child's and reviewed the footage of your visits with him, and after reading the packet, I'd honestly have to say-" There was that pause again that she seemed to be so fond of! "I don't see any reason why you would not be able to adopt the baby. So I've set up a court date for June 2nd and everything will be finalized then."

"Thank you Madame." Peabody said in his calmest voice, attempting to mask his excitement. "That is wonderful news."

"I knew you would say that." He could detect the smile on her face as she spoke. "I will see you then."

The call was then dropped and the breath that the dog didn't even know he was holding was released. He was one step closer now. One step closer to having his own son!

* * *

Waiting was torture. Practically murder on one's nerves! For the past half an hour the dog had felt as though he could die just from waiting for so long. Of course, he knew that that has never and would never happen. With another deep breath, he checked his wrist watch yet again. 4:45pm. It had been just 45 minutes ago that the court had officiated everything and the adoption had gone through. Now, he was waiting for them to bring his son in.

"Sherman." He read aloud from the birth certificate in an attempt to break the ever present silence.

At that moment, the door to his right opened and in entered the woman he had spoken to on the floor just before his court date. In her arms, there was a small blue bundle. The white dog stood up suddenly and watched as she approached. She was smiling widely as she stopped in front of him and bent so that she could place the bundle into his arms.

"There you are." She said sweetly, taking a few steps back so that the father could admire his new baby.

Mr. Peabody looked down at the sleeping baby's face and smiled softly at him. He reached a paw and gently removed the child's glasses (the one's that matched his own) and stroked his's little cheek. Sherman took this moment to open his tiny, brown, eyes and looked up into his new father's green eyes. The baby smiled softly and yipped. Almost like a little puppy would. At that moment, Mr. Peabody knew that he truly loved this little boy.

* * *

That was until the boy began to grow and Mr. Peabody soon realized that the little boy would soon need more space to run around, and also he would need a good education. Plans for the WABAC were then formed and the machine was then built and presented to the boy one the day of his birthday when Peabody deemed the boy old enough to own a time machine.

"Where should we go first?" Sherman asked excitedly as he jumped up in down.

"Not where Sherman. When." Mr. Peabody replied, setting the dial to a thousand years into the past and hitting the shiny red button.

The pair were then whisked away on what would be the first of their many adventures, some which ended up being recorded by the historical figures that they met along the way. So that in a thousand years from then or now, everyone would see a dog and his boy, appearing everywhere in history without ever knowing how they got there or why.

Only Mr. Peabody would know why. Knowing that he built that time machine, the WABAC, so that he could spend a thousand years with his son.

_I'll love you for a thousand more..._


	7. Double Update: Bump In The Night

**A/N: Okay, deep breath. Deep breathing to shake away the feeling of sadness that was brought on by my past chapter. Okay, okay and BACK TO THE HAPPY SONG! **

**This is a combined idea from crazyfangirl, Guest, cute girl, Elizabeth Smith, and Cartuneslover17.**

**Plot: Peabody gets used to the sounds of a child at night and deals with them accordingly. **

**Cute girl: I love that idea, and I had an idea similar to it so I may just combine the two. Maybe not adoption, but those two pay close attention to additional characters (Say: Source) should know where I am going with this :3**

* * *

There was nothing more beautiful then the sound of a child's laughter. In retrospect, it was quite a scare to hear it in the middle of the night shortly after the child has learned to walk and Peabody knew this from experience. The last time he heard the toddler giggle in the middle of the night, it was followed up by several plopping sounds that created a random rhythm and ended with a popped rubber ball and a priceless vase shattered on the penthouse floor. As expected, the dog was furious with the little boy and was about to start yelling when he stopped and let the boy defend his case.

"It was an accident!" The child had argued, putting on his best puppy dog eyes, which instantly calmed the angered dog.

That calmed the dog down just enough that he was able to return the child to his bed without receiving an earful. The problem was keeping him in bed after this, so it was after that that Peabody began putting crib like bars onto the boy's big boy bed at night. This plan kept things from breaking at night, but it also opened a new can of worms. This is also what developed Peabody's OCD for shutting off all of the washers at night.

At the second night of having the bars up on the bed, Peabody had so stupidly showed Sherman an episode of 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' in which Bullwinkle is put into prison and not aloud to leave. This made the child so fearful of being locked up in prison that when he woke up in the middle of the night, he forgot that the bars on the bed were just crib bars and promptly wet the bed in fright. Needless to say, this taught Peabody that not only were the bars a bad idea, but the sound of a washing machine in the middle of the night was a bad omen as well.

This also taught him that letting Sherman own one of his red-bowties and yet still have white sheets and PJs was also a horrible idea. This misadventure lead to a gallon of bleach having to be bought and Sherman having to wear pink PJs for the rest of the week. Of course, the sounds didn't stop there and all of these sounds would lead to the worst sound a parent could hear.

* * *

Now, if the sounds of a child's laughter and the washing machine was not a bad enough omen, imagine the sounds of a child sobbing his small lungs out while also shrieking bloody murder at three in the morning. This terrified the young father as he flung himself out of bed in a mili-second and raced down the hall to his small son's room. A little, shivering lump in the center of the bed indicated that the little boy was still in the room and seemingly unharmed by the make-believe intruder that Peabody originally feared might be the reason of the boy's screams. With a relieved sigh, he walked over to the boy's race car bed and carefully sat down, attempting to approach the child without scaring him.

"Sherman?" He said gently, reaching over and placing a hand on the top of the lump.

He felt Sherman's soft head of curls as he patted it gently. The boy's face poked out of the blanket shield suddenly, and his teary eyes filled with relief at the sight of his adoptive father. He sprung out and hugged him tightly, suddenly clinging to the other like a lifeline as a fresh set of sobs started again. What ever the child was afraid of, it was obviously very scary. Or at least in the mind of a child it was, which meant it could be anything! Frowning, Mr. Peabody wrapped his arms around the child and began to stroke his hair.

"There, there, Sherman." He said gently. "Whats wrong?"

"H-had a bad dream!" The little boy squeaked, burying his teary face into the other's chest and whimpering. "Really scary!"

"Oh dear, was it the one about the gummy bears again?" Mr. Peabody asked, hoping it wasn't because he didn't want to order another round of therapy. "Because we've been over this Sherman. The red ones don't want to steal your toys."

Sherman giggled softly at the silly comment, having finally calmed down a little, and looked up at his adoptive father. Suddenly, and a tad curiously, the child reached a hand out and poked the edge of the older male's glasses. They slid further up the bridge of his nose and framed his confused eyes perfectly. The dog in turn, reached his own hand up and gently took the child's hand away.

"Sherman, what are you doing?" Peabody asked in a confused tone which he rarely used.

"Checking." Sherman replied innocently. "Making sure you're real."

"Now, Sherman. Why wouldn't I be real?" Peabody asked, gently setting the child on the bed in front of him and nudging his chin. "Was your dream about me not being real?"

Sherman shook his head and sniffled again, rubbing his little nose against his sleeve as he sat up a little and pulled his covers back over him. For protection reasons of course, and then shook his head again. He looked calm enough to explain, but suddenly his face twisted into one of pain and sorrow as he flung himself back at his father, crying out something in an unclear voice as he did so.

"Sherman? Whats wrong?" Peabody asked, attempting to pry the little boy off of him but then gave up.

"Don't send me back to the orphanage!" He cried out loudly, surprising the dog. "I know I'm a bad son but I'll try harder!"

Peabody sat there for a bit, very surprised by this and tried to contemplate what he had just been told. He tried to think of what to say, but found that he would need more information about the dream first. Gently prying at the child again, he set him on the bed and patted the side of his cheek to calm him down (Something he learned in a comic book once) and gently 'shh'ed him whenever he would whimper.

"What would make you thing I'd send you back?" He said gently. "What was your dream about?"

"I-I had a dream... That I broke the vase... and turned the wash pink again... And- and, you got mad at me... And that mean pink lady came and took me away and I was put in a jail and not allowed to leave or see you ever never again! It was really dark and scary and _then _the gummybears came and you gave them my toys!"

The dog frowned and petted his son's head gently as he sighed softly. He remembered that pink woman (whose name he couldn't remember for the life of him, which didn't really matter. It wasn't like he was ever going to see her again in the next three years or anything) and knew that she was against the adoption completely. She did not only scare Sherman, but Peabody as well, who did not want his son to be taken away. With a gentle smile, he moved his hand down to he could pick up the boy.

"Sherman, I would never send you back. Even if you did break the vase or turn the wash pink again. Or give away your toys to those God forsaken gummy-bears." Peabody said sweetly as he pulled the little boy back onto his lap and kissed his forehead. "Because your my son, and I love you very much."

"P-promise?" Sherman whimpered, whipping his eyes again. "Pinky promise?"

"Yes, Pinky-promise. Now why don't you get some sleep?" Peabody asked as he looped their fingers again and frowned as the child shook his head.

"Can't... Will you sing to me?" Sherman whimpered softly. "Something really nice?"

Peabody sighed, but knew that the child would not sleep without a song or a story. For that matter, he wouldn't be able to sleep either with the memory of his son's sobs still stuck in his ringing ears. With a gently sigh, he tried to think of the perfect song to sing to his little boy.

_"Close your eyes, Have no fear. The monsters gone, he's on the run and your daddy's here, Beautiful, Beautiful, __Beautiful Boy."_


	8. No Matter How Far

**A/N: I am so sorry. I am so sorry but I had to do it. I know it seems to soon but I had to write this :P Then after that I will never go back to it again, I promise. One more sad chapter and then after that I'll start working on some happy requests. I promise, double update today.**

**Plot: 'No matter how far away I might seem, I'm always here with you.'**

**Warning: Character death. **

* * *

**Sometime into the Future:**

If Penny wasn't there with him, Sherman felt that he would not be able to make it through this visit. She held his hand and kept him rooted to this earth, but sadly her hand would not anchor his beloved father the same way. Neither of them spoke as their eyes traced over the several tubes and heart monitor that was attached to the dog in the hospital bed. They both hated how the hospital made him suffer by keeping him alive.

"Sherman... Everythings going to be okay, Sherman." Penny tried to comfort him, saying anything she thought was right. "Cherish these moments with him... You'll be okay."

The red-head did not speak, he just bowed his head and let silent tears fall. He tried to think back to all of the good times he had with his adoptive father but found those mere moments were not enough. Even with all the time they had in the world, it all dubbed down to just a blink in their existence, and another blink in the time space continuum. He knew he would have to try, if not for Peabody or Penny's sake, then for his own sake. Looking up, he wiped his eyes and turned to Penny.

"Can I be alone with my dad?" He said weakly, feeling a tad of relief when Penny nodded her head and left without a fight.

The door closing behind her sounded so loud and so distance to him as he stood at the foot of the bed. He didn't notice it yet, but his father's emerald eyes had fluttered opened. He wouldn't have noticed it either, if it hadn't been for the weak voice, one which he was used to being to witty and strong, speaking to him.

"S-Sherman... Come here..." Mr. Peabody whispered, trying to sit up enough to see his son, but instead settled for laying on his back.

Sherman tensed and was hesitant at first. He did not want to see Peabody like this, he wanted to remember him as the healthy and youthful dog that he had come to love after all of these years. He was so hesitant at first, that he felt as though his numb body would just pass through the walls of the hospital and he would never see his father again. That was not the case though, and he soon found himself shuffling closer to the bedside and upon his arrival, Peabody spoke again.

"Sit down... Sherman." He said gently, coughing weakly into his hand. "Te-tell me about your day."

Sherman's voice hitched in his throat and his words died there. He followed the order of sitting in the hard, plastic chair of the hospital room and found his eyes drifting away from his father and instead to the bedside clock. It read **4:50AM **and he felt his heart stop. Time, which what used to be the family's greatest alley, was now their biggest enemy as they spent their final moments together. In just a few hours it seemed, their family would be torn apart again, this time forever. It was up to the boy to make them last for as long as he could. To hold back death just a little bit longer so that he could say goodbye.

"I had a dream a few hours ago." Sherman began, reaching out a hand and placing it on his father's paw. "Miss. Grunion came back again... She was draped all in black and instead of taking me away... It was you she took... Do you think it means anything?"

Of course, he knew exactly what it meant. Ms. Grunion always spelt bad fortune in his mind. She was always the one to destroy their make-shift family in his past dreams as a child, and her being draped in black made him believe that she represented death this time. She was coming for Mr. Peabody, to finally take away the only family that Sherman did not have. He knew that's what it meant, but he wanted Peabody to have something to think about, and have something to say.

"No, Sherman." The dog said weakly, lifting his paw up shakily and placing it like a dead weight atop Sherman's head. "It doesn't mean anything... Now tell me about your day."

"Penny and I haven't left the hospital... But I saw a little boy outside today. He was from the Hardrock Orphanage also." Sherman said, his voice cracking a little as he spoke, but he still managed to keep a smile. "It made me want to adopt a boy of my own... And take him on adventures like you used to... It also made me want to ask, if you wanted to go on one last trip... With me in the WABAC."

He knew it was a stupid want, as well as an impossible one. His father was on death's doorstep, a final trip would likely kill him at this point. It was such a horrible thing to say, but he was surprised when he heard Peabody weakly chuckle at this comment.

"Sherman... I am to old to travel in the WABAC, but I can travel, into a story." Mr. Peabody said, not making a load of sense but soon began to laugh again. "I'd prefer Rip Van Winkle as a story, if you can get that joke, but I'd also want to know the story of your future, Sherman."

"Yes, I get it dad! For once I get it!" Sherman cried, laughing loud and bitterly as the joke rang through his head. "But I can't tell you of my plans... I don't have any. I don't know what to do here without you! I'm only 18, Mr. Peabody! You can't let me do this on my own!"

"Sherman! Sherman... Calm down, my boy." Peabody said with what ever remaining strength he had left in his voice. "Life is an adventure we all have to take on our own, but Sherman, I'm not leaving you."

"Yes you are! You're dying! You aren't supposed to die Mr. Peabody! You're never supposed to die!" He shot back.

Sherman looked up at him, tear spilling out of his eyes like mad as he waited for the man to explain this. To explain how he wasn't leaving him even though he was dying! He needed to know what this all meant! He had so much he wanted to say to him right now but he knew that even if time stopped now, he would never have enough time to say everything he needed to. Peabody sat up suddenly and threw his arms around Sherman tightly.

"'No matter how far away I might seem, I'm always here with you." Peabody said suddenly, without a break in his voice. "Even in death, I will never leave you. You are my son and I love you, and I want don't want you to be held back by this minor set back. So please, for me, be happy."

Sherman gasped, sitting up slowly. He could hear the heart monitor faintly in the distance, and knew that time was of the essence. If he was going to say something, he had to do it now.

"I love you too, dad! I love you so much, you were the only family I had for the longest time and I swear, for your sake I will try! I swear to God, I'm trying! I am going to try to get through High School, and I'm going to try to get a boy of my own one day, and make a life for myself! I'm going to try and make you proud!" Sherman said, suddenly hugging his father tightly as he felt the other's hug lessening. "I promise... I love you..."

"Thank you... I love you too, Sherman..."

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beeep...

* * *

**_Recording: _**

_"Is it rolling? Oh! Its on!" Mr. Peabody's voice sounded, just as a black screen parted to revile him sitting in his old arm chair. "Hello Sherman! I'm not sure if you'll remember this, but today is your birthday an- Where are you right now?"_

_The dog suddenly leans forward and plucks a one year old, Sherman from his lap and places him on his lap. He lifts the baby's hand so that he can wave at it and then sets him back down again with a tender smile. _

_"That was you just now. You are only a year old, but who knows how old you are now." He said with a gentle laugh. "But that is besides the point. I am filming this video for at the title on the tape may suggest, I have died and you need my guidance."_

_He paused again, and then stood up so that he could adjust the camera a bit before speaking again. _

_"Sherman, I just wanted to tell you, that while you're not the perfect child I originally wanted, I would never trade you for anything." Peabody says in all seriousness. "I am saying this now, because I feel that if I don't, then I will never be able to again." _

_He looked away from the screen and took a deep breath, attempting to calm his frazzled nerves. Looking back up, it was evident that he had tears in his eyes. _

_"Sherman, I am sure that you know of the WABAC by now... You've known about it for quite some time now." Peabody began again, biting at his lower lip every so often. "And you should know that in time, you can not return to a point in which you existed." _

_There was a knocking at the door behind the camera suddenly, and Mr. Peabody shook his head as he took the camera and carried it away. He ended up in his bedroom, away from all of the outside noises and distractions. Adjusting the camera on his dresser table again, he attempted his speech again. _

_"I remember what you said. About how I am never supposed to die... Because you needed me here with you-" He paused and sighed heavily, removing his glasses quickly to rub his head. "That's why I had the WABAC built, Sherman. So like when we would travel to Rome or Paris to seek guidance from all of the time's greatest minds, you could do the same with me when I am gone. I've left a letter for you, hidden somewhere in the WABAC. When you find it, I don't want you to open it until you've had a boy of your own, whose all grown up now. Then you can open it." _

_He paused for an added effect, and then continued. _

_"But if you found this video first, which I am sure you did because its been entrusted to you in my will, along with all of my other possessions, I am just going to tell you now what I've done." His voice became stone serious. "I've fixed the WABAC, Sherman. So in the case that you feel like you are missing me, or at any moment you feel alone, you can use it to return to a moment in your life when you were most happy. Any moment at all, and you can relive that moment as long as you want without changing a thing. It works, believe me it works. I've tested it before and I promise you that it will not changing a thing."_

_Baby Sherman's cooing could be heard in the background of the video as the recorder's battery level began to drop rapidly. Peabody shook his head and took a deep breath. He didn't have much time left to get this all out, and while there was still so much he had to say to Sherman, he would have to limit it. Peabody could tell him later after all, because if he ever did use the WABAC, then they would have all the time in the world. The knock on the door in the kitchen sounded louder this time as he went on with the video._

_"I want you to know also, Sherman. In case you don't ever use the WABAC for that again... That I love you, and I am always proud of you no matter what." He said suddenly. "You are my son, even when I am gone, you will still be my little puppy. I love you, and I want you to know that you should never be afraid."_

_He slowly bent and picked up the little redhead and had him wave to the screen again as he held him tightly in his arms, as if afraid that the little bundle would leave the moment the video drew to a close. _

_"No matter how far away I may seem, I am always here with you. Even now in this video, I am here with you and once the camera lets go, I will still be holding you in my arms." He said, reaching his paw over to shut off the short video. "Good night, Sherman... I hope to see you again soon." _

_Everything went black after that._


	9. They Aren't All Like That

**A/N: For Awesome Person, Guest, StoriesUnleashed, and Clara the Clear.**

** A combined idea: Sherman's first dose of the horrors of the real world. Peabody tries to explain how not all people are this way.**

**Side Note for Guest and SimonDiamondDoll: I think Mother's day may be the story that would suit you best :) Mainly because it involves Sherman getting a little older and a possible baby sister if I am cruel enough (Ace up the sleeve) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a box and Briar Lily belongs to Guest. **

**P.S: The Tarzan idea is going to be touched upon as well in the next chapter 'All That You've Caused', in which Sherman and Peabody show Penny the underlying chaos that her little 'teasing' had caused. Slight AU of how they confront her in the movie.**

* * *

Sherman had never been allowed to watch TV after eight O'clock. At that strict time limit, the timer on the TV would force it to shut off and signal to the ginger that it was time for bed. It had been like this since day one and for the longest time, Sherman accepted it. He accepted it for the longest time until that one day out of every year came that he found himself laying in bed, unable to sleep.

Believe when he said that he honestly tried everything he could to get to sleep, but unlike all of the other four times (Again, one time out of every year), he found that sleep just wasn't an option tonight. After counting seven sheep, the artificial stars on his ceiling, and the number of cars that drove past his penthouse window, the boy found himself even more awake than he was before.

"Ugh! I'm never going to get to sleep!" The five year old groaned, tossing himself quietly onto his bedroom floor and sighing. "Theres only one more thing I can think of!"

And that one more thing, sadly involved a TV. As Sherman had discovered from days of watching TV with Mr. Peabody, nothing put him to sleep faster than one of Peabody's boring new channels. From what he could hear from down the hall, now would be the perfect time to sneak out and listen to a little bit of whatever news cast the dog was currently watching. He would have to be quiet though, so putting on a pair of fuzzy socks, Sherman quickly slipped out of his bedroom door and quietly slid down the hall until he made it to the edge of the hall.

The living room was a diagonal line away from his spot in the hall and he could just barely see the TV. It was currently being blocked by Peabody's armchair, which had been turned to face it. The dog could be seen leaning on his arm with his head down, signaling that what ever he was watching must've made him just as tired as Sherman wanted to be. Taking this change without really thinking about it, Sherman tip-toed as quietly as he could to the TV and sat down behind the armchair, so that he was hidden from view and yet the TV was not.

_"And in other news, a child by the name of Briar Lily or Briar 4 as she prefers to be called, has been removed from her New Orleans home after running away from her abusive household."_ The female newscaster was saying in a serious tone. _"The little girl is four years old and currently resides in the HardRock Orphanage in New York, after hitching a ride from a local cab driver, who found the young girl in an alley way."_

The photo Sherman saw after this shocked him. Briar Lily was she's a 4 year old girl with long, shiny black hair, dark skin, and grayish-purple eyes. She wore a dirty and torn purple nightshirt and she was stretched thin, like she hadn't seen a bit of food in her life. Several bruises and scratches littered her smooth skin and the photo had been taken in a dirty alley way where the girl was apparently found. She almost looked like a skeleton, one that would usually haunt the nightmares of a child come Halloween night. Following the photo, was an interview with the little girl.

_"Can you tell us what your home life was like?" _A male newscaster asked, placing the microphone in front of the seemingly startled girl.

What ever she was saving, Sherman hadn't a clue. According to the subtitles, she was speaking a form of Lousian (At least that's what he thought it was called) French and the only word he did understand was Mere and Pere, or mom and dad in English. Slowly, the girl's face began to melt into one of resentment for her parents. This both shocked and confused Sherman.

"W-why would her mommy and daddy hurt her like that?" The five year old asked, not fully understanding the situation. "I thought parents were supposed to love their babies!"

Slowly, his attention was taken away from the TV and instead turned on the sleeping dog. His brown eyes scanned over the dog, taking note that without his red bowtie and glasses (both were removed for the night), the dog looked like, well... A dog. This frightened Sherman mainly because he knew a lot of regular dogs that would try to attack him, and this memory soon reminded him of another terrifying fact. Whenever he would mess something up, or do something terribly wrong, his adoptive father had a tendency to growl at him, and ball up his fists like he wanted to hit something.

"A-and I'm not even his real son!" Sherman gasped, having been told of his adoption long ago and just now understanding what it all meant. "Which means he doesn't have to love me like normal parents would!"

His eyes suddenly flashed to the TV again, wanting to see what else the newscaster had to say about the girl. On the screen, there was a photo of a man and woman who looked nothing like Briar. The woman was tall, with pale skin, black hair that ended in waves, and bright red lips. She wore a purple dress and black heels with a pound of make-up completing the look. The man next to her was a short man with pale skin, black hair/mustache, and wore a black trench coat and matching hat.

_"Briar was adopted by this couple, shortly after her second birthday." _That was enough to make Sherman's heart stop, and then start back up going a hundred miles an hour.

He was suddenly very afraid, mainly because he couldn't trust what he couldn't explain to himself. He didn't fully grasp the situation the little girl was in other than what he could understand of it and that was the part of her being adopted. That was the only part that he could relate back to his own life, and that was the only thing that he really did grasp about it. The little girl had been adopted, and her parents did not love her, so they hurt her. Dread suddenly laid heavy on his heart, and he did the one thing any five year old would do at a time like this, and that was cry as loud as he could.

"W-what!" Peabody yelped, suddenly jerking himself awake and looking down at the small child. "Sherman!"

Sherman looked up at the dog, momentarily silencing himself for a moment, only to burst into another round of tears and began to back away quickly from the dog. Peabody frowned and stood up, all while grabbing his glasses and returning them to their rightful place on the edge of his nose. Very confused, he looked from the boy, to the channel the TV was set at. The Newcast was almost finished with it's latest story, but the words that flashed across the screen gave the dog the only clue he needed to figure out what had happened. **Child Abused by Adopted Parents.**

"Oh my." He muttered, reaching for the remote and promptly shutting off the TV.

Slowly, he set the remote down and approached his clearly shaken child. Real life and the things that went on in it was not something he wanted to discuss with the boy at this ungodly hour. Perhaps in the morning maybe, but not now of all times. Slowly, he kneeled in front of the little one and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He wasn't very good at comforting though, so he just stopped at that and waited for Sherman to either calm down or speak. When he finally did begin to speak, his voice was more of a shaky whimper.

"W-why would they do that?" Sherman sniffled, wiping his eyes gently as he looked up at his adoptive father. "They really hurt her!"

"Some people are unfit to raise children, Sherman. That's why I think they should plead their case in court like I have done." He responded, helping the little boy to his feet. "That's the sad truth behind things."

"W-why don't you act like them?" Sherman piped up suddenly, remembering what had added to his earlier fright. "You don't hit or bite or anything."

Peabody paused and attempt to process what had just been asked of him. What didn't act like the parents on the television set. He frowned when he remembered the similar situation Sherman had been just five years earlier, and he understood the boy's curiosity of the matter. With a gentle sigh, he picked the smaller boy up in his arms and carried him back over to the armchair.

"Sherman, I am not abusive because I have common sense, as well as a patience that is needed to raise a small child." He explained, walking calmly over to the DVD case and began to flip through it. "Some people are like that because they are mentally unwell or do not know any other way to raise a child. It doesn't make it right though and frankly I am disgusted by anyone who thinks it is. Besides, I love you to much to ever consider such a treatment."

With this, he began to flip through the educational DVDs he kept until he found the special set that he only let Sherman view on special occasions. Flipping through that one quickly, he extracted a well known Disney film and held it out long enough for the boy to see before turning to put it into the disk player. After this, he returned to the arm chair and sat next to Sherman.

"I also don't act that way because I am a dog." Peabody finished up, pulling the boy into his lap and stroking his hair.

"What do you mean?" Sherman piped, sitting up a little bit.

"Well, most dogs only have two natural instincts when it comes to their puppies." The dog explained, sitting back a little bit in the chair and reaching for the remote. "A calm and nurturing side, and an overly protective side. Most anima- Well, here. I will let the movie explain."

The movie chosen was Tarzan, and the scene skipped to was when Tarzan was first discovered in a crate by his adoptive mother. It reminded both the adoptive father and boy of the day they first met one another. It had been in an alley way though instead of a ship. Either way, the movie brought immense comfort to the small boy as he watched the orphaned boy being raised by a very loving animal, and he soon found himself drifting to sleep. Peabody smiled softly down at his boy and then frowned softly.

_'There are so many terrors of the world... I'm going to have to teach him about them sooner or later...' _He thought, looking up at the screen and remembering the horrid words written on it just an hour earlier. _'That there are people like that... Who would've hurt him if they got to him instead of me... Or even now'_

He looked down at the little boy cuddled at his side and smiled again. He could never hurt that little boy, he loved him to much and it made him feel blessed that it had been his home that Sherman ended up in and not someone unknown. He thought about the little girl as well, and remembered hearing about her being in the HardRock Orphanage and made a mental note to make some calls to make sure that she was taken care of properly.

_'Not everyone is like that though. I'll make sure that he knows that as well.' _He ran a paw through the boy's red hair and shut his eyes.

Acting on instincts again, he brought his puppy in closer to him, to insure his safety. This wouldn't be the last time Sherman found himself in a similar situation. No, it was far from the last, but every time he saw something on TV that frightened him, or couldn't fall asleep at night, his adoptive father was always there to comfort him. Further proving Peabody's point, that not all people were cruel and incapable of love, but also that the rest of the time... News TV was pretty boring when they weren't talking about depressing things.


	10. The Ones At Fault

**Snips, Snails, And Puppy Dog's Tails**

_Chapter 10: Tragic: The Ones at Fault_

* * *

**Tragic: **

Sherman watched the plastic rope being placed around the neck of his adoptive father and as animal control began to drag him away. Ms. Grunion did not listen to any of their pleas, and neither did animal control. With all the damage that had been caused, they deemed Peabody and unfit member of Society and there was no president of the past powerful enough to stop what had been decided. Twice in one day he was going to loose him, and both times it all was _her _fault. Rage filled him completely as he turned angrily to the blonde girl behind him. This was all her fault, and he wasn't going to let her get away with it unscathed.

"Was it worth it, Penny." Sherman spat at her, his voice cold and bitter. "Well! Was it really worth it!?"

"S-Sherman?" Penny stuttered, surprised by the boy's sudden tone of voice. "S-Sherman, whats-"

"Was your stupid joke worth it!" Sherman demanded, balling up his fists so much that his knuckles turned white. "Your stupid, unfunny joke... Was it worth all the damage you've caused!"

"Sherman... I'm sorry... I-" Penny tried but was cut off yet again by Sherman's hand raised in front of her while the boy wore a look of discus, as if hearing her voice was like nails on the chalkboard.

"Are you serious!?You think sorry is going to fix any of this!? You think apologizing is going to patch up a hole in the Time Space Continuum!?" Sherman exclaimed, sounding both outraged and shocked, finding the girl's stutters to be the most ignorant thing in the world. "Is a sorry going to convince the pound not to put my dad down or that hes a suitable father for me!?"

Sherman's breathing began to pick up as he tried to calm down, but it was no use. He couldn't just sit back and say nothing about this whole thing. He was frustrated and angry and he just wanted to let the whole world know why that was, so he did.

"You could've have just left me alone! You just had to make fun of the only family I had and now I don't even have it anymore! But hahaha, its funny because hes a dog!" Sherman all but screamed at her. "All he ever tried to do for me was try and give me a good life and because of you no one will ever see it that way!"

Penny and her parents looked shocked at the boy's sudden outburst. They didn't know what to say. What could they say? Sherman was right about all of this, and there was nothing that their family could do to help him. They still had their little family, and would never understand Sherman's pain of loosing the only one he had. Really, all of this happened because of a stupid joke... That wasn't even worth it.

"You couldn't just stay in the present and behave for one night! Your parents got along with my dad just fine even though he was a dog so why couldn't you for one night get along with a boy who was human like you!"

"Sher-" Penny stopped, knowing that he was right about this, and he was right about everything.

"You just had to be a stubborn bitch and mess up history! You couldn't sit still and not get yourself into trouble once! In Egypt all you had to do was stay in the WABAC but you didn't!" He was reaching the edge of his rage by now. "Instead we had to go through a mess of traps, almost got sucked into a black hole, crashed a flying machine, and now theres a hole in the fabric of time!"

"If you just did what I said and stayed put then I would be at home right now with my dad! My dad is gone now Penny! And its all your fault!" Sherman screamed, hot tears streaming down his face. "Did you ever think for once before harassing me that maybe I didn't care that my father was a dog, maybe consider that he was all that I had!? Did you ever try to understand!"

Sherman's heavy breathing stopped all together with that last statement, and he suddenly tossed himself onto the hard, cement ground as he wept. If anyone was close to hear him, they would hear him crying not just for Peabody, but for his own uncertain future. One that he knew would be without Peabody and Penny. He cried because one of those great minds here now would be able to fix the past for him, and yet not be able to fix the broken boy in the cement. No one would ever be able to return his family to him and he knew it.

"Sherman? Come on sweety... Its time to go..." A voice spoke above him as a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

The voice did not belong to Mrs. Grunion, nor did it belong to any of the Peterson women. It especially did not belong to Penny. No, this voice was gentle and kind, as if any trace of hate had never met it before in all of its years. It sounded far away and yet so comforting and familiar, that Sherman wasted no time in throwing himself into a pair of awaiting arms. He had no idea what was to happen, all he knew is that he would have to find out without the help and guidance of Peabody.

All he knew was that because of Penny, no one would ever know how much Peabody meant to Sherman, or how much Sherman needed him. No one would ever know and it was all her fault. Even in his adult years, he knew that he would find himself asking out loud to a blonde girl who was not there one thing and one thing only.

'Was it really worth it?'


	11. The Fault Of One

**Snips, Snails, And Puppy Dog's Tails**

**A/N: This is a quick satire to chapter 10: The Ones At Fault and was Crystal Persian's suggestion. The original prompt was that Peabody looses Sherman at the mall but then we came up with this inside joke that Peabody would try to write a strong letter. Keyword is try. **

**I will be returning to this prompt in a future chapter to write a part two of the idea in which Peabody finally writes that strong letter of his but with a much more... Colorful language. **

**Chapter Summary: Peabody writes a letter to the manufacturers of the 'Baby Leash' (Real think you know, you can look it up) after an event that no parent would want to go through accrues.**

**P.S: I know its a little short but I was writing this in whatever time I had left in French class to get it out so that you would have something else to read if any of you got sad. **

_Chapter 11: Satire: The Fault of One_

* * *

**Satire: Peabody's letter. **

**_To Whom Ever It May Concern,_**

_'I would like to report a fault with one a device that your company has manufactured which has been dubbed 'The baby-leash' for the time being. I'd like to report that shortly after purchasing said item and receiving the guarantee that it was indestructible, did it break, and at the worst of times as well. Enclosed in this letter is a briefly written summary of the events that went about before and after the device broke. Also enclosed in this letter would be the piece of the leash that broke. I hope that you will find a way to prevent further incidents from accruing with this product, or I will be sending yet another letter, and I will not be as forgiving should this happen again. My son and I are still a tad shaken from what has happened.'_

* * *

**_Brief Summary:_**

_Our story begins at the local mall on the corner of 45th street, right next to that new restaurant 'Stake and Bake'. Anyhow, my son and I were running a few errands when we first discovered the product of the baby-leash, which I soon learned was much like a dog leash but for a small toddler so that they do not get separated from their parents. I was a tad applaud of the product at first but bought it anyway (my son is quite the energetic one at two years old so I thought that it was a good idea). Anyhow, we bought the device and it seemed to work flawlessly, that was until we entered another baby store for new sippy cups when the small chain that connects the holder to the leash-bit broke off and Sherman toddled out of the store. Imagine my surprise when I found my two year old son missing. The events then went as followed. _

* * *

"Sherman!" I exclaimed, feeling an unfamiliar panic rising into my chest.

I had never been through something like this before. Usually when I had my eye on Sherman he was always such a well behaved little boy who would never run off unless something really had his attention or if he was kidnapped. As a parent of course, my mind instantly went to the latter and my panic began to worsen.

"Um, sir? Are you alright?" A check-out assistant asked as I looked up quickly.

Of course, while I would have like to explain to him that I was currently a nervous mess because my two year old son (who I went through quite a struggle to get) had gotten away from me because of a poorly crafted baby-leash, but I didn't have time to because Sherman was still at large.

"Physically yes, but emotionally I am not." I managed, my voice raised a few octaves higher than it should have been before I quickly dropped what I was holding and dashed out of the store.

Upon exiting, I immediately began to search the surrounding area for any signs of my ginger boy, but unfortunately I found no trace of him. That's when my real panic began to sit in. My only pup was lost in a crowd of people and was probably scared to death by now! Worse of all was that if the courts heard that I lost Sherman than I would never be able to live it down!

"Focus, Peabody! Hes a two year old boy!" I tried to reason with myself as I dashed between groups of people and frantically called out Sherman's name. "How far could he have possibly gotten?"

Apparently wherever he was had been very far, because I searched that mall all over and still found no sign of him. I was about to suffer a panic attack (or so I felt) when someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up and saw a mall cop, and in his arms was my pup, who looked unharmed and yet was as pale as paper.

"Is this boy yours? Hes been asking where Peabody was ever since I found him." The mall cop said, carefully placing Sherman into my open arms.

"He is. Thank you so much for finding him." I said gratefully, hugging the boy close.

"Peabody!" Sherman whimpered, clinging to me tightly.

"You have a very smart boy you know." The officer said, taking out a lollipop and handing it to Sherman. "He walked right up to me and asked for help. Most kids his age would just sit down and cry."

"I've raised him well then." I said, kissing the boy's forehead and watching as he opened the lollipop and began to suck on the treat.

Normally I would have him wait until after dinner to eat it but today I let him have it as a reward. The mall cop tipped his hat at us and bid us farewell as he turned sharply on his heels and left us. I promptly returned to the store with Sherman still in my arms and bought both the sippy cups and a baby blanket. The blanket was then fashioned into a baby sling which I then used for Sherman, who promptly fell asleep upon being put into it. We then returned home and I began to write my letter, only stopping once when Sherman woke up from a bad dream. I haven't the slightest idea who Penny is or what she had to do with the Time Space Continuum, but after Sherman settled down, I taught him how to conclude a letter properly.

* * *

_I had a high deal of pride, but even my pride did not stop me from carrying my son around tied to my chest all day. After returning home, I began to write the letter than you have probably already read by now. If not then please kindly take a look at that since it continues on with my complaint. Again I hope that the necessary steps will be taken to prevent any further incident and other harsh letters from any other parent. _

_Sighed,_

_-Mr. Peabody and Sherman_


	12. 8 Years Later

**Snips, Snails, And Puppy Dog's Tails:**

**A/N: Hi everyone. Just a quick update but first I would like to explain my absence. Like I have said countless times before I was currently on break and did not have a laptop with me at all during my break since I left it in my car so I would not be tempted to use it when I should be enjoying my moments peace on holiday that and where I was staying did not receive internet connection so I had to use my phone to answer emails. Well, after being pestered for the past four days I found myself unable to enjoy my vacation so I have decided to update quickly. **

**Special thanks to: Those who were patiently awaiting my return. **

**Briar4: I will consider your idea for now but I kindly ask that you just enjoy the rest of the story for now until I decide.**

**CaptainSoda12: I hope this is to your liking as it was your idea that prompted it.**

* * *

_**Birthday:** Definition: T_he annual anniversary of the day on which a person was born, typically treated as an occasion for celebration and present-giving.

At least that's what Urban Dictionary said a birthday was. Unfortunately, in Peabody's penthouse apartment, the definition seemed more along the lines of 'Watch your cake being made and wait hours and hours for the guest to arrive'. So far, it had been an hour and a half since the ginger-haired birthday boy watched his vanilla cake batter go into the oven and another hour watching the delicious treat get decorated and by now he was watching it. Just flat out watching it and waiting for his cue to finally eat it. Unfortunately, that cue would not be for a long while.

Right now, Sherman found himself at the kitchen table, eyeing his adoptive father who was currently in his own chair at the kitchen counter a few feet away. Between the two, there sat the blue birthday cake topped with white piping and white wording that clearly read 'Happy Birthday Sherman', reviling that it did in fact belong to Sherman. With proof of ownership on it, Sherman didn't understand why he couldn't have it yet. Quietly, he began to scoot his chair closer and closer to the cake, hoping just to swipe a tiny bit of the frosting before-

"Don't even think about it, Sherman." Peabody snapped sternly, calmly taking a sip of his hot tea as he cast his son a warning stare. "We have to wait for the others to arrive first."

Sherman frowned and scooted his chair away from the cake before folding his arms over his chest. He let a good five minutes pass before asking the question that had been nagging at him all day, or at least so it had seemed to him that is.

"Are they here yet?" The boy of the hour asked with a frustrated groan, already knowing what the answer would be.

"No, Sherman." Peabody said calmly, taking yet another sip of his tea. "Not for another hour."

"I'll miss a thousand more birthdays before they get here!" Sherman groaned and tossed himself out of his chair and onto the floor.

"Sherman, you know that there is no human to date who has lived that long." The dog said, but then decided to take pity on his boy and came up with a compromise. "Tell you what. You may open one of your presents, as long as you stop complaining afterwards."

Sherman instantly perked at this aspect, and rushed over to the table where a few of his presents were already waiting. Most of them were from Peabody, but one had been sent from their neighbor from two stories down, Source, who could not attend the birthday party that day. He decided on that one and quickly plucked it from its spot and tore it open. Inside was a Megaman action figure set complete with the limited addition Issue 1 comic book. Needless to say, this managed to quiet Sherman down long enough that he didn't complain once about his cake until the other guests had arrived.

"Sherman, the Petersons are here." Peabody called from the door. "Along with a few other guests."

The sound of clattering can be heard as Sherman suddenly ditched his toy and rushed to the front door. Not just because Penny was there and she was like his best friend ever, but because he was curious to find out who these other guests were. Upon arriving, he was in for a huge surprise.

"President Washington! Lincoln, and De Vinci!" He exclaimed happily, jumping into the open arms of De Vinci and giggling happily.

"I thought a little trip from the past to the future wouldn't hurt to much." Peabody said with a light chuckle as he gestured to the men.

Sherman was thankful for this, and was suddenly released from the hug and held in place by the shoulders. De Vinci looked the boy over and then laughed good naturedly.

"Ha! Look at you, boy'o! I remember when you were just an itty baby! Now you're all grown up." The Italian said problem, only to frown and shrug while adding "At least in'a my day, eight was all'a grown up."

The group laughed at this line and then Penny took this time to slip between the men and to Sherman. In her hands, there was a brightly wrapped package, about 5 inches by 6 inches and it had his name on the tag.

"Happy Birthday, Sherman." Penny said, leaning over and kissing her friend's cheek. "I hope you like it. We all kinda pitched in to make it for you."

Sherman looked up at the group of expectant faces, and then down in a confused way at his gift. Carefully, he unwrapped the gift, reviling a circular piece of metal with a simple message carved onto its shiny, metallic surface:

**Hero of Time and Space: Sherman P.**

**Happy 8th Birthday.**


	13. What Kind Of World Do You Want

**Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog's Tails**

**A/N: I want to take a break from this story, just for a little bit. Sadly no one will leave me alone about it so I am updating yet again. The song is 'World' which I'm pretty sure is Five For Fighting. Anywho, quick recap:**

**New Years Eve: I enter the kitchen to find my mom crying. She is listening to the song listen above and when I asked her what was wrong, she told me that she was thinking about my brother (her only son) who had recently gotten his own apartment and moved out. For some reason I thought of the song today and realized how perfect it is for our favorite pair so I wrote this. P.S: I AM TAKING A BREAK AFTER THIS. If you love my work then please read one of the other three stories I have for this fandom and I will return to this story after the break. Thank you kindly. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a box and a bag of cookies.**

* * *

**World:**

_'Got a package full of Wishes. A Time machine, a Magic Wand, a Globe made out of Gold. __No Instructions or Commandments. Laws of Gravity or indecisions to uphold.'_

In a darkened alley way, during an unusual fall storm, a simple package could be found. There was nothing about this box that bad it stand out at first glance, other than the 'This End Up' mark, that is. On the inside however, there lay a being as unusual as the storm around him. A child, with fiery hair and chocolate brown eyes, whose entire world as of now could be summed up into that simple box where he had been left and abandoned in. It would only make sense that a simple box with an unusual child inside would be approached by an unusual person who was quite simple in mind. A dog by the name of Mr. Peabody.

"Who would leave a child here?" The dog wondered out loud in a pitiful attempt to receive any kind of answer.

Unfortunately, there was no hermit nearby with the knowledge of that child, nor was there a little note or instruction book on who he was and why he was there. All there was, was an innocent infant, who seemed capable of magically conveying his thoughts and feelings to the one holding him, and a dog who could not explain the feelings he now felt. Well he could actually, and he felt the strange need to adopt the child as soon as possible. Somewhere in the back of his mind though, Peabody knew that this would be no easy task, what with laws of adoption needing to be put into play, but at the moment it didn't matter.

Looking down at this child, it felt as though obtaining him would be a simple task, though this was probably just an 'in the moment' type of thing.

* * *

_What kind of world do you want? _

If Sherman had the choice, to choose life with a dog or life with a human, he would always pick a life with Mr. Peabody. You could even go back, many years ago and all the way back to the day the boy was first found and if you asked him that same question, he would tell you in a proud and clear voice that he would choose 'Pea-ba-ba.'. You could go back to that time, and Mr. Peabody often had that same destination in mind the day he built the WABAC. He would often think of life he had given to Sherman and the life that could have been for them both, and with the power of time travel in the palm of his hand, he could very much do that. Despite him considering this though, he never got around to it because in the end, Sherman always got the final say in things.

"What kind of world would you want? Sherman?" Peabody asked his sleeping son, gently stroking his curly hair as he did so.

In the child's sleep, he began to kick away at the covers until his small arms were free. Then, without even waking up he reached up and hugged Peabody's arms tightly to himself and began to softly coo. The cooing then began to form into one word and one word only.

"Peabody."

The dog was surprised, but happy none the less. Officially, that had been Sherman's first word, as well as the first choice that Sherman ever made on his own. Smiling wider, the dog lifted the bundle into his arms and carried him to the bright red door way of the WABAC. They weren't going back to the date Peabody had thought of, rather they were going a bit farther. To Venice Italy, where a good friend of Peabody's would help him compose a special lullaby for a special little boy.

* * *

_Lose the Earthquakes - Keep the Faults. Fill the oceans without the salt. Let every Man own his own Hand_

Since Peabody was a puppy, he knew that the world was a very cruel place. That natural disasters were unpredictable and could happen at any moment, and that the world was so full of flaws that at times he felt that this was not the type of place that he wanted to raise Sherman. Especially with the events that accrued during the boy's first day of school. He was bullied to the point of attack, and that damned Ms. Grunion was now threatening their little family.

"None of this is any fair to Sherman, nor I!" Peabody declared to himself as he paced about his office. "If that little girl didn't push Sherman to biting then none of this would happen. It had nothing to do with him being raised by me, rather it had everything to do with what that girl did!"

He was outraged, clearly outraged. They were threatening to take away his boy, the one who he raised since day one and did everything in his power to give him the life he both wanted and needed. If that wasn't what made a suitable parent then really he didn't know what did! With a heavy huff, he turned to the phone on his table and took it into his hands.

"Regardless, I am not giving up Sherman without a fight." He said out loud, but then added. "A very civil, non-violent, talking fight... That is."

Just because the world was full of violence and flaws, that did not mean that his house and himself had to be too.

* * *

_Sunlight's on the Bridge. Sunlight's on the Way. Tomorrow's Calling. There's more to this than Love._

The morning sun glittered onto the horizon as Peabody watched his boy sleep. It was strange to think that nearly 24 hours ago, he had almost lost his beautiful boy forever. It was something that he did not want to think about, but also did not want to forget because in those moments, he realized something. He didn't just love Sherman. How could he love something that was as natural to his life as breathing? There was more to this than just love, because in reality, he valued Sherman's existence. Sherman's very existence in his life is what kept things going and kept things interesting, that kept each day turning for him (or at least that's how it seemed)

Ever since the day he met that boy in the alley, he noticed something different about his life, and now he was starting to understand what that something was. His smile widened as he approached his son and patted his head gently. It was the dawn of a new day, and so now, they could put everything from yesterday behind them and start new, and start now.


	14. Mrs Chien Part 1

**Snips, Snails, and Puppy Dog's Tails**

**A/N: 100 REVIEWS! WE HAVE REACHED A WHOPPING 100 REVIEWS! Lets try for a hundred more! As a present for this, I have decided to update this story with a Part One and Two special!**

**CaptainSoda12: Calm down. I will get to your request when I get to it.**

**Briar4: I apologize, but at the moment an OC just wouldn't fit into the flow of the stories I currently have going unless you do not mind it being an AU and for one chapter. Again, I apologize for this but if not an AU then perhaps a compromise. You do remember Source/Ursula saying that she did have a little one? I hope you understand where I am going with this. **

**All Fans Of Snips: ****Hey guys! Quick shout out to point you in the direction of my other work. If you like this story, then please check out my other work for this fandom 'Life Without You', 'Mother's Day', and 'Things Better Left Unsaid.'**

* * *

Tangled up phone lines, and a child on the floor. A suitcase that won't close, and an impending phone convo. These were not a few of Peabody's favorite things but since his adoption of baby Sherman, they were things he had to put up with. Balancing the cellphone between his shoulder and ear, he attempted to lift Sherman yet again into his baby carrier but the baby refused to budge from his spot on the floor. With a heavy sigh, he half listened to the conversation, and half wrestled with Sherman and the phone's lines until at last he gave up and returned fully to the conversation.

"Peabody! Are you even listening?" A voice belonging to an older woman called back through the phone, a touch of annoyance lacing her voice.

This woman was Mrs. Chien, the lesser known adopted mother of the dog on the other line, who had taken the dog into her home just a year before he left the nest to move to New York on his own. She was the only person who did not seem to mind that the dog would not play fetch nor act as a normal dog would and was actually one of many people who had convinced Peabody to go through with his plans to attend collage. Anyhow, even though their time together was brief, they still kept contact and like any dotting mother when Mrs. Chien caught word of the adoption she just had to call her son to see how things were coming along now.

This of course ended up leading to one thing, and then one thing lead to another and Peabody now found himself attempting to hurry out the door to get to the airport to catch the first plane down to Portland, Oregon to visit his mother. Why he ever agreed to this whole visit on such short notice was beyond him, but regardless there was no escaping it now so he might as well follow through with it. So returning to the phone, he cleared his throat and finally managed to pick up the squirming child and seat him in his carrier.

"Yes, mother. I am still listening." He said, carefully maneuvering Sherman's tiny limbs around the buckles of the carrier and strapping him in. "Sherman was having trouble getting into his seat is all."

"Oh! Put Sherman on the line, I want to talk to him." The woman said suddenly, a certain love lining her tone which could only be described as the love a grandmother would have for her grandchild.

"O-okay?" Peabody stuttered, a tad odded out by the request but never the less, he settled the phone next to Sherman's ear and watched for a few seconds as the baby happily babbled into the phone. "I will never understand-"

He paused when he realized that there were still a few things he needed to complete before the thought of leaving was even an option. Quickly, the dog rushed to the kitchen counter and plucked up a sealed envelope. Since the family would be gone for the week, he felt it necessary to have someone look after the penthouse for the time being. This task would be left to his neighbor from two floors down, and enclosed with a list of things that needed to be done around the house, a spare key was concealed. A knock on the door altered him that the woman was now here for said envelope.

"Coming!" He called as he headed to the door and unlocked it.

Peabody's blonde neighbor/friend was soon reviled, her hair tied back in a rather clean ponytail compared to her usually messy one and her four year old daughter (Whose name Peabody had yet to set to memory) clutched around her boot cut jeans. Oddly enough, this clean and cut look normally meant that she was at her busiest, making Peabody feel a bit (but not so much) guilty for posing this task on her at the last second.

"Good morning Source, you are looking well this morning." Peabody greeted, casually handing her the envelope and patting her small daughter on the head.

"Thanks. I just woke up actually." The woman laughed, slowly bending and picking up her daughter. "And this little one just wanted to come say farewell for now."

"Bye bye." The girl said quickly, ducking her head into her mother's chest and refraining from making eyecontact for the rest of the encounter.

"That is sweet." The dog commented with a soft chuckle before shaking his head. "Anyhow, the envelope contains a list of emergency contact numbers, including mother's cell phone and house number. The fridge has been stocked incase you want anything, and well, most of it is in the note so just read that." The dog said quickly, walking back over to his son suddenly and snatching up the phone.

The baby boy squeaked in protest at the loss of his new talking-buddy, but that didn't last long as he soon took interest in his favorite neighbor standing in the doorway. He reached for her and she was at his side instantly, playing with his tiny hands and giggling as happily as he was. Turning her head, Source smiled up at Peabody, who was now helplessly listening to his mother's overly-bubbly words at how talkative the one year old Sherman was and how smart he was bound to be in the future.

"Lets hope Sherman is as excited to meet grandma as much as she is to meet him." The blonde laughed, loud enough apparently for Mrs. Chien to hear.

"Ursula? Is that Ursula, your little girlfriend from collage?" The older woman asked, knowing full well who it was. "Put her on the phone! I haven't talked to her in ages!"

"Mother! She is just my neighbor." Peabody said with a shake of the head. "And just a friend for that matter, for a dog to date a human would b-"

Before he could finish, the phone was snatched up by the blonde, who in turn casually waved him off. Peabody rolled his eyes and shook his head as he went to Sherman and picked up his carrier carefully. Knowing those two, by the time they hung up the phone then Peabody and Sherman would have already gotten to the older woman's house, which was a distance of at least 41 hours. This wasn't even an over-exaggeration (Well maybe it was), regardless, they would be off of the phone by the time the boys got there, which would be again, 41 hours from now.

"We'll be off down, Source! See you in a little while, mother!" Peabody called so that both women could hear as he grabbed his suitcase and rushed out the front door.

* * *

**One Trip To The Airport Later:**

"And that, Sherman, is what we adults refer to as 'Road Rage'." Peabody said simply as he pulled up to the airports entrance. "You must never repeat the words spoken nor the action of that particular gentleman who cut us off at the intersection. Understand?"

The baby simply cooed happily and waved his hands around above his head, clearly having no idea as to what his father was talking about. With that, the dog removed the boy from his strapped in seat and carried him inside. They still had a while to spare before their flight took off, but with security precautions still needed to go through, they really didn't have much time. Luckily, everything seemed to go smoothly, that was until they got to the metal detector.

"Sir, please remove anything on your person and place it into this bucket." The security guard said in a bored tone.

Peabody groaned and set the carrier down and set his wallet, keys, glasses, passport, cell phone, and his MP3 player into the bucket and walked through the detector. It rung loudly as he stepped back through the gate and tossed in the loose change he seemed to have forgotten and tried again, only to get the same result. Since Peabody was a well known dog, the guard did not suspect that he was hiding any weapons, but that didn't mean that he didn't still want to mess with him.

"For goodness sake!" Peabody exclaimed as the alarm went off yet again.

What on Earth could he be forgetting? He was sure that he had removed anything metal on his person except- Oh gosh, he would technically be naked if he took _that_ off! Though, the odds of it being _that _were very slim though. Then again, his luck today was also just as slim.

"Sure you don't have anything else?" The man asked, a smirk playing over his thin lips when he noticed the look on the dog's face. "Not even a collar?"

Yeah, so apparently it was his bowtie. With a deep breath, he attempted to collect what ever amount of pride and dignity he had left and removed the dang thing, making him appear all the more dog-like now.

"It is not a collar, it is a bowtie." Peabody said as he placed it into the bucket. "The metal tab is just a decoration."

"Sure." The guard snickered as the dog walked though, and then Sherman was brought through also.

Peabody rolled his eyes and quickly gathered up his things and redressed before picking Sherman back up and carrying him towards the next roadblock. After confirming that Sherman had his travel shots and a doctors approval to travel, the two turned in their tickets and travel books before finally going to board the plane. This sight seemed to excite Sherman to no end as he began to coo loudly as they went to find their seats. They had window seats, meaning that Sherman would be able to get a good look at the clouds and world below them. Things would have been perfect if it hadn't been for the man who sat down next to them.

"Oh great, I'm next to a baby." The man muttered, not happy with his assigned seat. "And some idiot dog also."

Peabody's ears perked up a bit, as he slowly turned and looked at the man. He was both surprised that the man would say such a thing while they were in hearing distance, but he was also a tad annoyed with the man.

"Excuse, but what did you mean by that?" His voice was firm and unwavering.

"Nothing, but that kid better not cry the entire flight." The man shot back, his voice more harsh and annoyed. "And you better not whatever it is dogs do when they fly."

"I assure you sir, Sherman and I will be well behaved this flight." Peabody said, patting his boy's head gently as the baby cooed happily.

"Is your owner around or anything, because I'm not going to take your word for it."

If Peabody was going to spend the next forty hours on a flight next to this man, then he wanted to get something down right now.

"Let me tell you something-" Sherman's ears were covered for this next part.

Sherman couldn't tell what his father was saying, but instantly the man next to them paled and shrunk back into his seat the more Peabody spoke. The low rumbling that emitted from his father's chest was comforting and Sherman soon found himself drifting to sleep, mindless of the fight going on around him.

"And you sir, are an even bigger one!" The dog concluded, finally taking his hands away from the boy's ears. "The nerve of some people!"

"Geez man, okay, calm down!" The other stuttered, scooting away a bit and burying his face in a nearby magazine to avoid making eye contact with the enraged dog.

Peabody took a few deep, calming breaths before looked back down at his sleeping child and smiling lovingly at him. Even though Sherman more than likely couldn't hear him, he spoke to him anyway in a low whisper so his words were kept just between Sherman and him.

"Mrs. Chien will get along with you well." He began softly, petting the other's head gently again. "She is a very kind woman, and I only have the fondest of memories of her in the year that I lived with her."

His voice began to trail off as he felt himself slipping back into a much different time, all of those years ago.

* * *

_The puppy farm was a cold and bitter place on nights like these. The storm clouds raged loudly over head, unleashing an assault of heavy rain and lighting onto the world, followed by several rolls of thunder. While any other puppy would just cower in the corner, the only inhabitant of the farm found himself watching the rain with a certain sadness in his eyes. For years he had been here, and he knew what would happen to a dog like him if he didn't get adopted soon. _

_"No one seems to want the pup." The owner muttered, rubbing his sore fingers together in an attempt to loosen the tension in them. "This place won't be around much longer, so if no one gets him soon... well then..." _

_Of course, Peabody knew what that meant, which is why he felt the way he did now. Today would be his last day on this good Earth, and by the way he saw things, he whole existence had been nothing but a blink in the whole of time. He had so much more to offer the world, so many footprints to leave behind, but sadly since he was born in the form he was in, none of that potential mattered. That was sadly the way things had to be. _

_He had come to accept this, and to be honest he had been expecting this. His signs were wiped out by a sudden roll of thunder, seemingly reminding him of in just a few hours it would be like he had never been there. He could see the old owner of the far approaching the puppy pen, a vet following close behind. The rain that washed down on them made them appear all the more sinister. _

_"I'm sorry." The owner muttered under his breath when Peabody was in hearing range. _

_Peabody frowned, and slowly curled up on himself as he waited for the painless death that awaited him. It never came though, because the sounds of squeaking tires and a loud horn honking soon brought everyone's attention forward. No sooner had the horn sounded did a woman of medium height and build, wearing a dark purple rain coat and black heels come rushing forward. _

_"Wait!" She exclaimed, her voice louder than the thunder as she trudged through the wet earth. "I'm here to answer your add, about the puppy." _

_She waved a newspaper clipping in her hand that could only be guessed to be said add as she rushed towards the three, stumbling only a bit as her heel got caught in the mud but luckily she caught herself last second and kept running until she was face to face with the farm's owner. She frowned when she saw the vet nearby. _

_"I'm not to late am I?" She gasped sadly as she tried to reclaim her breath. "I tried to get here as soon as I could bu-"_

_"No, no. You're just in time ma'am." The owner said kindly, but then shared her frown. "But, you realize that this dog isn't- Well, normal... Right?" _

_The woman turned suddenly to Peabody, who was still curled up in a small ball. Slowly, he opened a single jade eye to look up at her and felt the sinking fear that came along with the thought of the woman turning around and leaving once she knew that he was no ordinary dog. Instead of leaving though, she smiled and sank to her knees before collecting the dog into her arms and smiled. _

_"Of course I do. And that does not matter to me at all." She said as she smiled happily, petting the dog's head gently. "I've always wanted a son you know."_

_It may have just been his high emotions, but Peabody could have sworn that the woman's smile outshone the sun that day, which was still tucked behind a dark patch of clouds. This woman had been the first human to ever show him such kindness and expectance._

_"Hes all yours then, miss-" He paused and waited for the woman to fill in the blank. _

_"Chien." She said with a soft giggle. "Ironic, I know." _

_Peabody looked up at the woman, and pressed a hand to her arm to make sure that she was real and he was not dreaming. Yes, she was there, and she was finally going to take him to a place that he could call home. He couldn't stop his tail from wagging as he smiled brightly at the woman, the rain now long forgotten as he snuggled closer to her chest and shut his eyes gently._

* * *

By the time Peabody snapped out of his trance, he realized that he had been sleeping. Sherman was still asleep at well, but he was smiling widely as he snuggled into the dog's fur and continued to sleep. Peabody returned the smile, at stroked his small cheek as he looked out the window at the storm clouds down below them. Normally, they would have been the most dreadful things for one to see, but to him- They were beautiful.


	15. Mrs Chien Part Two

**Snips, Snails, And Puppy Dog's Tails**

**A/N: Good Morning everyone! As you might have noticed, I am in a piss-poor mood. So to make up for that I am going to write the story I love most :D Oh, and also I'm going to point you all in the direction of my other story _'Things Better Left Unsaid'_ because its basically Peabody's story leading up to the adoption of Sherman and yes Mrs. Chien is present in the story and there is fluff all around. She also makes an appearance in _'Mother's_ Day'**.

**Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. So without further delay (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Sorry) allow me to introduce, Mrs. Chien Part 2.**

**Chapter Summary: Sherman finally meets his grandma and the estrange aunt he didn't know he had. When you find out who it is, then the motives of this person later on will start to make sense.**

**P.S: I made Peabody have a last name because I didn't like the thought of Sherman's last name being Peabody because it just felt odd.**

* * *

If theres one thing Peabody hated more than plane rides, it was hotel rooms. By the time they left the airport, Sherman was already becoming fussy and just wanted to lay down in an actual bed and go to sleep. With Mrs. Chien's house still being some distance away, Peabody thought it best to just get to their hotel and stay the night so that's where they were now, and Peabody was obviously very unhappy by it. Sherman on the other hand was none the wiser.

"These places are always so filthy." Peabody muttered as he sprayed the bed with a bottle of disinfectant, then placed down a rubber lining, and then Sherman. "I don't care what the reviews say."

He sighed and went to the diaper bag to get his son ready for bed. This required a quick change of diaper/clothes, a new and warmer blanket, a quick story reading to calm the boy down, and then a basic talking to of what was to happen in the next few hours.

"Now Sherman, we'll stay here for the night, and then tomorrow morning we'll drive to grandma's house." He tried to explain to the boy, going to the phone and plucking it from its stand (Only to wipe off the entire thing with a baby wipe. Sadly, his cell phone had died and he would need to use this while it charged.), "I'm going to call her right now to tell her."

With that being said, Sherman turned his full attention to the phone and watched carefully as the number was pressed into the key-pad. He heard it ring, once, twice, then three times before it flipped over and a familiar woman's voice spoke. Sherman squealed in delight when he realized who was on the other line and he quickly quieted down so that he could hear her better.

"Peabody?" Her voice began, sounding rather happy. "Where are you calling from? How was your flight?"

"From the hotel, mother." Peabody said, sharing the same amount of happy. "We are staying here for the night, but we should be at your house tomorrow morning around ten. As for the flight, well, allow me to explain this with censored words."

* * *

**_Flashback for the Fans:_**

_"Let me tell you something-" Sherman's ears were covered for this next part. "Sir, I have it up to here with misconceptions that just because I am a dog, I have an owner and will misbehave along with my child! I've just spent the past hour driving to this God forsaken place and had to put up with *Jack Frost, drivers and then the security guards gave me *Ship all because I did not want to take off my bowtie because it is technically the only piece of clothing I wear that keeps me from looking like one of those dogs who lacks an intelligence! Then I get on this plane and the only one to cause any trouble is you with your smart*arse comment!"_

_"D-du-" The man began but was suddenly cut off by an angered Peabody._

_"Don't you care cut me off! I'm not finished with you! Because right now I am on the way to visit my mother, who is not a dog mind you and all I want to do is relax for the rest of this plane ride because I know she will want to catch up and meet her first grandchild when we arrive, but thanks to you I am now beyond pissed off and probably will be that way for the rest of the trip because of stupid people like you! So I kindly suggest that you keep your dumb*arse comments to yourself or else I'll get really really angry! Then you will have an angry dog to deal with!"_

**_End Flashback:_**

* * *

"You cleaned everything off before you set the baby down, right? I don't trust those places being clean and I don't want Sherman becoming sick." Chien said, concern laying heavy in her tone for her only grandchild as she ignored the story her son had just told her.

"Everything has been cleaned off, mother. No need to worry." Peabody said, though he knew that the woman would just end up worrying anyway.

The woman took a deep, unsure breath before the sound of a shaking head soon followed. After a short bout of silence, the woman finally spoke up again.

"Oh, alright. Speaking of clean though, I just got off the phone with Ursula, and she says that everything is going just fine." Chien's tone suddenly changed to that of a humored yet nervous voice. "Though, she might have mentioned a small toaster fire."

"Again!?" The word shot so quickly out of Peabody's mouth that he didn't even have time to process them.

An awkward silence fell, followed by a quick breath from Chien before a sudden yelp escaped from her. Peabody held the phone away from himself to avoid going deaf as the woman began to exclaim her concerns based off of this new information.

"What!? This has happened before!? And you have Sherman in a house of flaming toasters!?" Now it was Peabody's turn to have that tone from before.

"Mother, I assure you that the toaster fire the first time accrued in Ursula's apartment. The woman may be crafty when it comes to building her own appliances, she is not handy when it comes to using store bought ones." Well, that didn't sound convincing or reassuring at all. "Sherman was not present during either of those."

"You all need to be put in bubbles." The woman stated bluntly, placing the phone on speaker suddenly. "Anyhow, so Sherman did find on the plane ride? Is he sleeping now or is he having trouble?"

"He did just fine on the plane, though your voice seems to have woken him up and excited him quite a bit." The dog explained, casually switching the phone to his other shoulder and approaching the baby's side. "He seems to recognize your voice."

"Aww, well is there anything I can do to help him sleep?" Both the mother and the dog seemed to have the same idea on what to do next, though they did not say this verbally yet.

"Actually, there is." Peabody began, picking up Sherman and cradling him in the crook of the arm that held the phone. "Do you remember that song we used to sing some years ago?"

"I do believe I do." Mrs. Chien responded, clearly smiling on the other end of the phone. "Sing it with me, if you remember."

Sherman looked up fondly at the phone and his father and shut his eyes intently as he waited for his lullaby. Seconds later, the room was filled with the light singing of the two parents. One over the phone and the other holding the child close.

_"I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go. And help us to be wise in times when we don't know..."_

* * *

**The Next Day (I couldn't resist):**

The house was a simple house, with a beige colored front door and a dark tan enterer. The roof was a simple black one with square tiles running all along it and windows varying in shapes and sizes littered the front of the house. Standing on the porch, there was a medium build woman with long blackish blue hair that fell down her back and was caught in a loose bun. Her skin was a light olive color and her eyes were the same shade of emerald as her adopted son's. She wore a light purple blouse and a multi-prink black and dark purple skirt and black heels. Upon seeing the rented car pull up to the front stoop of the house, she rushed to the bottom of the steps and waited.

A white dog, wearing a red bow-tie and glasses, exited the car first before crossing over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. He withdrew a baby carrier, which the woman could see contained a small child with brown eyes and a mess of fiery hair. She tried to contain her excitement as she waited impatiently at the base of the porch as the dog walked up the narrow pathway leading to the front door of the house. Upon their arrival, she swept both of them up into a tight hug.

"Oh! My babies are back." She cooed, referring to the both of them as Peabody attempt to get out of his mother's hold. "I missed you so much!"

"Mother! Control yourself." Peabody gently scolded as he straightened himself out, only to hug his mother tightly in his own hug. "Though I did miss you too."

Mrs. Chien finally pulled out of the hug and giggled happily, before turning to Sherman's carrier and looking down in wonder at the tiny boy. He blinked in equal wonder at the woman above him, reaching his tiny fingers up in a vain attempt to grab hold of her and hug her. Instead, she bent a little and unbuckled the boy before picking him up and holding him close to her chest. She didn't speak at first, and Peabody was quick to assume that it was just the shock of finally getting to hold the little boy. He took this time to formally introduce the two.

"Mother, this is Sherman Chien, and Sherman, this is Mrs. Chien." He introduced the two, gesturing to each person as he spoke, pausing briefly as a thought occurred to him. "Mother, I don't suppose you've heard from Clarisse, have you?"

Ah, Clarisse, the only daughter of Mrs. Chien from her late husband. Peabody never did consider her much of a sister, mainly because by the time he had been adopted she was already out of the house and well on her way to starting a new life for herself. The two did talk on the phone however, and Clarisse always took this time to express her hatred of the dog she could hardly bring herself to consider as a brother. These phone calls did not end well, ending with a harsh insult towards the other, and eventually turned to nothing more than phone history.

"Yes, she got married last spring actually." Mrs. Chien explained, rubbing her cheek against Sherman's as she spoke. "I don't see it working out though. The man she married is quite an oaf."

Peabody rolled his eyes back in his head when he heard this. Of course she hadn't invited him nor contacted him about her marriage. Not that he cared anyway, if what his mother said was true then she would probably go through a very unhappy marriage and that was just fine, for she more than likely deserved it after the year of being cruel to her 'little brother'. Though not physically, she always found a way to verbally harm the dog, through more ways than just expressing her disgust towards him. She also targeted their mother in this act of bullying and would leave the older woman in tears the more she spoke of how stupid she had been to adopt a dog in place of a boy for a son, claiming Peabody to be nothing more than a waste of time to everyone.

"Maybe you've heard of them." Mrs. Chien's voice suddenly broke through the dog's thoughts. "They are social workers in New York. Last name, Grunion?"

Peabody thought over the name for a moment, trying to bring to memory any instances where he had heard the name. There had been a Smith, Jones, and Lunis on the scene when he had attempted to adopt Sherman, but the name Grunion just didn't ring a bell. He answered his mother with a shake of the head and then indirectly with a sly remark in place of an answer.

"No, and I doubt I will." He said with a soft smile, while adding "I intend to raise Sherman accordingly, and doubt that a social worker will ever be needed during his upbringing."

The baby took this moment to giggle happily, waving his tiny arms about as a tiny butterfly from the outside world took his nose as it's perch, only to fly away when he reached up to grab at it. Chien tried to keep her composure and not double over as she held in a fit of giggles from the baby's adorable display. After a few calming breaths, she lead the pair back into her house and into the living-room, which was lined wall-to-wall with baby toys. Peabody held back the urge to face-palm as the two humans crossed into the living room and sat on the floor while playing with the toys.

"I thought you said you would not become the type of grandmother who spoils their grandchildren." He said sternly, walking to the spot where his two favorite people were.

"Well, I lied." Mrs. Chien said with a brief shrug. "Deal with it?"

The dog shook his head anyway and dropped down to his knees next to his mother, with Sherman in between them, happily playing with a glow worm doll. Sherman hugged the creature close to his stomach and squeezed it hard enough to make the little light go on inside it. This seemed to mesmerize the baby as he held the doll at an arms distance to see the light shine even brighter. Mrs. Chien giggled at her grandson's antics and kissed his tummy gently before standing back up again.

"Well, I have lunch in the kitchen if you two are hungry." She said, smiling softly as she picked up her grandson again, toy and all. "Then we'll let Sherman play with his toys and we can catch up."

"That would be lovely, mother." He said in a matter-of-fact way. "I can't wait to tell you all that has happened in the past years. It really was quite eventful."

"Is that so? I can't imagine it being to eventful, other than Sherman." She said good-heartedly, causing Peabody to smirk a little.

Mrs. Chien was one of the few people that Peabody would trust enough to tell about the WABAC, and he couldn't wait to see his mother's reaction to such an invention, so with a knowing smile, he followed her into the kitchen, with a list of stories he was dying to tell her, even if she did not believe a word of them.

"Believe me mother, it has been quite the adventure." Peabody began, about to use one of his famous puns. "One might even say that it-"

Mrs. Chien sensed the oncoming pun and cut him off with a sharp round of laughter before ending with an 'I don't get it.'


	16. Peabody's Tall Tales Or The Set Up

**A/N: This is a mix between Briar 4's idea and CaptainSoda12's. I want to make one thing perfectly clear before I start though. I will NOT update the same story the very next day after updating it. I will NOT write on the weekends because I do not have access to a laptop at all during this time but even if I did I still would not, and as the author I get to choose when I update and when I don't. Now I already have over 90 stories going as is so I don't have time to focus on this one. **

**Briar 4: Honey, why don't you make an account so we can discuss your ideas? Even if your nervous about writing, I would still be more than happy to help you if you want to write your own story. **

**PLEASE READ THIS GUYS: If you enjoyed having Mrs. Chien in this story, then please read and review 'Things Better Left Unsaid' because she plays a major role later on in the story. Also, Mother's Day will be updated soon if you're interested in that. **

* * *

**Mrs. Chien: Added Scene:**

**'Peabody's Tales'**

_How they ever got into a situation like this was beyond Peabody. One second they were cruising through time and space in their 'flying space apple' and the next second they were in the Triassic-period with one of the poor creatures of that era and his tail caught under the WABAC. While Peabody should have been proud that his son was being a good person in assisting the creature, he was also weary of what the boy was sure to ask of him next._

_"Sherman. We are not taking it back with us." Peabody said, turning around as he pointed to the creature in his son's arms._

_"But Mr. Peabody! Hes hurt!" Sherman argued back, gently rubbing the animal's sore tail. "We can't just leave him here!"_

_"I said no." The dog said sternly as he stamped his hands on his hips. "If I am correct, which I usually am, then he only has a sprain. We can put it in a splint but then we have to leave him here."_

_"Please!" The boy whined loudly. "What if he gets attacked while hes out here all alone?"_

_"Sherman, he'll get attacked even if we take him back to New York with us." Peabody pointed out dully. "We can return him to his packs location and he will not be harmed."_

_"A pack?" Sherman chirped curiously, looking down at the small creature and wondering if there was more of them around here._

_"Yes, a pack, or family in a sense." Peabody explained quickly, looking around for the location of said place. "They will care for him Sherman, so we don't have to worry about him."_

_"Are you sure, Mr. Peabody?" The boy said, holding the creature closer to his chest in a very protective way._

_Again, in a way Peabody was almost proud by the way his son was acting, and for a quick moment he flashed forward to the future, where Sherman would undoubtedly have a puppy of his own to take care of and by the way he was acting so protective of the creature now only lead Peabody to believe he would do a wonderful job. Anyhow, flashing back to reality, he looked down at his boy and smiled softly as he patted his head._

_"Sherman, I am always sure." He said, turning quickly and entering the WABAC swiftly and returning just as quick with a medical kit._

_Within minutes, the creature's tail was put into a splint to keep it from moving to much and causing to much pain, and now Peabody and Sherman found themselves searching the land for it's pack or at least home. It was a dangerous place, the dog knew, so he kept his pup and his pup's temporary pup close by him to keep them both safe. They were almost attacked only once by some sort of flying creature, but the dog thought quickly and struck a torch he just so happened to have with him and held it above them to keep flying creatures away._

_"Now, if I am correct, then the creatures home should be aro- Sherman, listen to me and do exactly what I say, set your little friend down and back away as slowly as possible." Peabody said in a quick whisper, his face paling ever so slightly. "Don't run until I tell you too."_

_"Why, Pea...Body..." Sherman's face was as white as his father's fur when he saw what he did._

_Adult, and very angry looking versions of the creature in Sherman's arms were glaring at them, not happy to see one of their children in someone else's arms. The creatures growled and bent their long necks so they were directly in front of the boy and the dog. Sherman gulped, but then did as Peabody instructed him and set the creature down. He then began to slowly back away from them as the parents and child were reunited. This did nothing to quell their anger though, and Peabody backed away too as he waited to give his signal, and the moment their eyes closed just for a moment-_

_"Sherman! Run!" Peabody announced as the father and son duo took off sprinting back to the WABAC, with a group of angered adults running after them and then-_

* * *

"Peabody!" Mrs. Chien cut in suddenly, holding up her hand for emphasis. "You mean to tell me, that you took my grandson in the future, back to the past in a giant space apple or time machine, then got into some trouble when you crushed an animals tale, and were run after by its parents?"

"That is exactly what I am saying." Peabody said, laughing softly as he spoke. "Wait until I tell you about the time we accidentally had the past unwritten and I almost didn't adopt Sherman."

"Peabody, how on Earth do you come up with this?" The woman asked with a soft laugh. "This is utter-nonsense."

"Well, you know mother, this could be a hit cartoon one day." The dog mused, taking a sip from his teacup that he had almost forgotten about during story time.

"Or a movie." Mrs. Chien added, shaking her head slowly. "But you should not base every step of reality off of a dream you had.

"It wasn't so much a dream mother, as it was- Oh never mind. It may be easier if I showed you, but we would have to go back to New York to get the WABAC." Peabody said quickly with a shrug.

"If you can do that and come visit me in the past, then I will believe every word of it." Mrs. Chien challenged, smirking softly as she did.

"I accept your challenge, mother. But first there is something that I will need from you first." The woman raised a curious eyebrow at him, wondering what exactly that something would be. "Do you still have that old newspaper clipping?"


	17. Alternate Speech

**_A/N: Recap: *two twin girls wearing red bowties, glasses, and PBS themed shirts sit in the front row of a movie theatre (They are the only teenage girls spending their Friday here willingly) They are huge fans of the original cartoon if you can't tell so they are here to see the movie.*_**

**_Sherman: Because I'm a dog! _****_Everyone: I'm a dog too!_**

**_Twin 1 (Purple) : -eye twitch- We wasted an hour and a half for that!? _**

**_Twin 2 (Coolio) : Nopenopenope. They did not just say something that stupid! This was the build up!?_**

**_Chapter plot: My take on how the climax speech should have gone._**

* * *

It was terrifying, really, to watch the one person you've always viewed as a quick thinking escape artist suddenly caught in a snare with no way of getting out of it this time. No tricks and aces are left to play because after the mess that's been caused, they would all become reduced to nothing but dust the moment they were sprung on a waiting crowd. It feels almost like the side-show act of a circus performance, with all of the audience watching in wonder as a talking animal is pleading for not only his life, but the life of the lost boy who he raised as a son. Bright lights from blinking cars, each containing its own set of cages and bars, shown down brightly on the two, making it the center of attention.

'And before your very eyes folks, you'll witness the death of a family!' You can almost hear the woman in a pink blazer announce in that loud and evil tone of hers. 'If we're lucky, we might even see the innocent life of a child crumble from beneath him!'

In the corner of your eye, you look to see the star of the show himself, your dad for God's sake, being dragged away by his neck and so far only he is doing anything to stop it from happening. The family trio who you thought had bonded with yours over the course of the night just stand there, as if they were simply emotionless dolls with no thought to process or movement to make. In a way, you feel like one of them as well, like the world around you is on a stand still now, and only that dog beside you can move through it all, just as he always has. The only difference between this movement and all the rest is that it is desperate, no planning or calculations behind it. Its a desperate attempt to cling to not only his life, but also the life of the only family you have ever known, and even in his darkest hour, he tries to keep it together just for you.

He always does this for you, and in return all you do is stand there and watch, hoping to any God out there that is listening that your mindless shouts and pleads (God, you don't even know whats coming out of your mouth right now) will someone hold back the hands of the clock, or at least the hands of animal control back long enough that he can think of one of his brilliant plans and somehow free himself from all of this. Anything you say right now flows out freely now, in the hopes that at least one of these garbled strings will be the right thing to say. '

Then, all at once, its stops. The lights go dim, and now the spotlight is on you. All eyes are turned in your direction and finally everyone begins to blink as the world and reality around you suddenly comes to a crashing halt all around you, and you realize just how loud everything had been up until now.

"What did you just say?" The pink woman snapped, her tone a few octaves higher than it should have been, as if she had taken a shot from a helium balloon moments before you had spoken.

"I said..." What had you said? What does it even matter now? Anything you say now is a stall for time, and anything you say now will change just a small thing in the whole of time and space. "I asked you if what I have to say matters."

"What do you mean, child?" The woman's voice turns sickly sweet, almost the same consistency of snake venom. "Of course it does."

"Then let me say something, before you _kill_ my family forever." Your voice is stronger now, and it sounds foreign when you hear it in the air as it strikes the woman with a deadly blow. "Because up until now, no ones asked me how I felt about all of this!"

The woman visibly tenses as she pulls out her clip board and looks down at the notes she has taken, seemingly fixing her eyes on something that was not you. She knows you are right, but she doesn't really care, as long as she has enough evidence to make your words null and void against hers again.

"No one ever once asked me if I felt neglected or abused in my home, or even why I bit Penny!" It feels good to raise your voice against the woman, so you raise it a little higher. "If you did, then I would have told you that never once has Peabody done anything that made me not trust him! All he ever did was be there for me during my life and tried to bring me up the way any other parent would! He also taught me that if someone tries to hurt you, that it isn't right! That's why I bit Penny when she hurt me both physically and emotionally!"

There is no need to swear in this situation, so you pick your words wisely and just keep on firing the shots, looking out at everyone in the crowd, dead in the eye to make sure that they understand what you are saying to them.

"It does not matter, I was attacked by that dog myself an-" Ms. Grunion's words die right there in her throat when you give her a stern death glare that clearly states 'you had your turn to talk, and now its mine.'

"That dog is named Peabody, and as a father what he did was justified! So you better come up with a better excuse than that if you want to present this case in court!"

"Justified!? How on earth was biting me justified!?" She shrieks, and you take this moment to hold up your Indian-burned wrist, which got that way from her grip on your arm.

"You came into our home uninvited and tried to force me away from my home and family, you also hurt me by pulling on my arm!" You announce loudly so every police officer present can hear your claim. "He bit you for hurting his child! All he was doing was protecting me from you, because those are his natural instincts. They have nothing to do with him being a dog, but everything to do with him being a father! You were hurting his pup, and that makes you a threat!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Ms. Grunion booms, trying to keep everyone else from agreeing with you.

"You said it did!" You announce, balling up your fists. "And if it does then you would realize that again, you forgot one thing."

"Oh really, and what is that?" Ms. Grunion spits out in an annoyed voice. "You have one chance left to change my mind you know."

"That we're a family." One last chance at this, so you better make it right. "And family does whatever it takes to keep each other safe."


	18. Requested Chapter: Because I am English

**_A/N: Thank you to all who have stuck with my story. Special shout out to BloodyAlexy, thanks for being honest and for using my speech as canon. That was freaking awesome and really made my day. As for this story, I am actually going to return to life with just our boys (eh, not in this chapter but you get the gist of it). This idea comes to us again from Crystal, who suggested I do a Harry Potter/Peabody and Sherman crossover, only I've decided to put a little twist on it. _**

**_P.S: Okay, sending grade school kids from New York to England does sound crazy, but back in my middle school this was something we did to celebrate our last Debate tournament only the team went to Hawaii instead. Anyway, you also have to remember that Penny and Sherman have gone farther in the time machine before and also that they are very intelligent so they're probably on some honor role that allows it._**

**_WARNING: DO NOT QUESTION ANY OF WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN UNTIL YOU READ THE PUNCHLINE!_**

* * *

_School teams travel sometimes, Peabody knew this for a fact. What he didn't know is that certain school groups would travel as far as London, England for certain trips. Regardless of the distance though, Sherman had proven himself mature enough to handle the trip so one permission slip and a check signed later, and Sherman found himself along with Penny, for she was in their group as well and getting permission from her own parents, traveling to the train station that day to board their ride to take them there. _

_"You're sure you have everything?" Peabody pestered his son as he handed off his bag. "Brushes, wallet, stun gun-"_

_"Stun gun?" Penny piped up suddenly, looking over her own list of things taken with her and checking it off as she did so. _

_"You can never be to sure, miss. Peterson." Peabody reminded her sternly, returning briefly to his son to fix his hair quickly. "It is just a safety precaution after all."_

_"Peabody, stop!" Sherman groaned, backing out of his father's range of reach and messing up his hair again. "I already double checked everything and I haven't forgotten a thing. I think." _

_Penny rolled her eyes at this commented and went to Sherman as she grabbed his arm and began to drag him away towards the train, muttering things like 'Lets go Sherman, we'll miss our train. See ya mom and dad!' and then ending with 'did you remember your cellphone?' and so on. Sherman of course, paled a bit in the face, though it was unknown if he did it due to the time limit or the fact that he had forgotten his phone. Never the less, he sped up his pace towards the train with Penny following close behind now, calling out their good byes over their shoulder as they did so. _

_"Have fun, kids!" Patty called, seeming to be the only parent who was not nervous at all about this trip. "Call us when you get off the train!"_

_"We will mom!" Penny called back, practically pushing Sherman now that he had slowed down. _

_With their parents now lost in the crowd of other parents and relatives, the two children boarded the train and quickly scrambled to find their assigned seats. Once seated, the two children instantly began their excited chattering about what they would both see and do when they arrived at point B. While Penny wanted to see all of the sights that she could during the trip, Sherman was more so focused on what the team would have to do if they wanted to win their tournament. _

_"Sherman! Can we please not focus on school work for once?" Penny whined, taking out her cellphone and texting someone random as she did so. _

_"Penny, this tournament is the last one of the season!" Sherman reminded her brightly, poking her arm as he said this. "We have to make this one count!" _

_"Okay, okay. I get it. We'll talk ab-" She suddenly paused, and her eyes darted over to the person sitting across from them. "Hey, Sherman? Was that guy sitting here before?"_

_Penny pointed directly at the person, causing Sherman to face palm as he quickly knocked her hand from the air and looked up slowly at the man Penny had mentioned. He was surprised when he saw what looked to be a giant from a story book, who had not been there before, suddenly sitting across from them on the train. Surely a man like that would have been noticed by the kids when he first sat down, but he wasn't. He just kind of phased into the seat like a spirit. The man's beady eyes suddenly snapped up and looked at the blonde and the ginger. The kids visibly tensed as the man leaned forward towards them, his face suddenly very stern and serious. _

_"You're a wizard, Sherman." He said, looking both ways as he whispered this softly to them. "You as well, Penny." _

_"Woah! Really!" Sherman exclaimed, more excited than Penny was at this random statement, but still suspicious none the less. "But Mr. Peabody says that magic isn't real. He even proved it at one point-"_

_"Yes! You are real wizards, and we're on our way to a school of Witch Craft and Wizardry, where you will be taught in the ways of potions, and defense against the dark arts, and-" _

_"Hold on a second! Sir, we're on our way to a tournament for our school! Why the sudden witch craft crap?" Penny snapped, not convinced. _

_The man reached into his pocket and withdrew two envelopes, and handed them to the kids. They each took the one with their names on it, and opened them up quickly. They read through the letters quickly, not really able to read the squiggly writing of each letter. Sherman folded his letter first, and reached into the pocket that contained his stun gun as he waited for what the man to say next. It was Penny who stopped him from tazing the man though. _

_"Sherman! Look at this!" Penny announced, pointing to her own letter as it sudden went blank and began to rewrite itself, as if by magic. _

**_Wait! Wait! This is real! No need to do anything harsh! _**

_The letter now read, making the kids gasp in amazement. They looked up quickly with curious gazes and then back down at the letter, which didn't seem to be changing now. The man noticed their curious gazes and decided to explain this to them._

_"That is physic paper." The man said suddenly, his voice sounding far away. "Its used to show what ever the viewer wants it to-" _

_Suddenly a man in a blue suit approached the group, in his hand he held a screwdriver and at his side, a blonde woman stood, looking just as confused as the others did. He swiftly walked over and plucked the paper out of Penny's hands before scanning over it relatively quickly and frowning as he dropped it back down in her lap._

_"Hey! The paper bit is my thing!" The other announced, looking over at the kids quickly. "And don't listen to this man, he is an alien duplicate disguised as a man!You're not wizards, you're both time lords from a far away planet, and I'm the doctor by the way, nice to meet you, anyway I've come to ask if you wanted to travel with me in my TARDIS-"_

_"If that's like a time machine, then Sherman already has one." Penny jumped in suddenly. "Doesn't travel to planets though."_

_"Wait a minute, haven't I seen you at Hogwarts before? Some kind of werewolf was it?" The giant snapped suddenly, ignoring Penny's comment and trying to study the 'doctor's' face more closely. _

_"Sir, I might have been." The doctor snapped, turning back to the kids when suddenly another man wearing an over coat and holding a magnifying glass entered on scene._

_"Oh- um well this is awkward." The overcoat man muttered, surveying the scene before him as suddenly everything went quite. _

_The three strange men exchanged glances, and then the two females exchanged glances as well, and then everyone else began to stare at the other, trying to figure out what was going on at the moment while the train whistle blew loudly in the background. At long last, Sherman finally found the courage to speak up, and what he said was such a horrible pun that it would make his father proud if he heard it._

_"Well, no shi*, Sherlock!" _

* * *

"Mr. Peterson!" Peabody roared suddenly into the phone, growing quite annoyed with the man's story. "What was the point of this phone call! You do realize that is it is almost four in the morning!"

"And that's whats going to happen while they're in England!" Paul concluded, ignoring his friend's annoyance and just kept right on blabbering.

Peabody groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose slowly as he tried to process what he had just been told. It took him quite a while though, since logic obviously did not apply to this story at all. With a gentle huff, he thought of three key points to hit if he wanted to assure Mr. Peterson that none of that was even plausible.

"Paul, our children are part of a tournament for their school, there will be officials there who make sure that the children are accounted for and their are chaperons who will be attending with them." He began, trying to keep his voice calm as he spoke. "Next, it is impossible to take a train from New York all the way to London, and that is why they took a plane instead, and thirdly all of the men you've listed in your story do not exist."

"Who says they are! Hogwarts is hidden by some kind of magic spell so muggles don't find it, Detectives do exist, and time travel is possible! You've proven it before!" Paul shrieked, causing Peabody to hold the phone at a distance and sigh heavily yet again as he slipped in two quick sentences before promptly hanging up the phone.

"Go to bed, Paul. I do believe you are drunk."


	19. Silence Is Golden

**Snips**

**A/N: Suggested by my friend on Fanfiction (You know who you are :D). This is the chapter of Snips dubbed 'Silence Is Golden'.**

**Briar 4: Well, E-mails are quite easy to obtain now adays. I suggest trying for one on Gmail. com and going from there. No address or personal info is needed except for your name and date of birth. Fanfiction accounts are even easier to make and if you want I could help you make one. **

**Chapter Summary: Peabody breaks Sherman's trust and as a result, he is given the silent treatment by his pup. **

**P.S: I will be going back to puppy days after this chapter. Which basically means toddler Sherman and maybe some Sherman from the cartoon XD Anyway, check out A LIFE WITHOUT YOU if you want to see some of that. **

* * *

Can you really blame him for worrying? The first night he leaves his pup home alone, all by himself, for an hour or two. Again, All by himself! It gave Peabody plenty of reason to worry and begin to feel unsure of his decision that 'Sherman is finally old enough'. It also made him regret his former words from a little while earlier, when he clearly stated to his son 'You're old enough now to be home on your own.' For corn's sake! He was only 7, and there was a list of things that could go wrong if left alone. Such as another WABAC incident, a break-in, a kitchen fire, a bathroom fire, maybe another toilet fire (yes, maybe another), or worst of all, the possibility of Sherman discovering that the lock code on the TV was just the first three numbers of their house phone and unlocking all of the channels that Peabody had blocked for a reason!

You know, like PBS Kids, the Disney Channel, The Discovery Channel, and Fox News. Useless stuff like that which would in no way help to further Sherman's education. Anyhow, that was not the important thing. The important thing is that Peabody now found himself in the air duct that ran through their home, hiding in the secret camera room he had set up for situations such as this in that very location. Why he had chosen the air vent for it's location, well lets just say he wasn't thinking too clearly at the time it was built.

"Now, lets see what Sherman is up too." Peabody muttered, looking through the plethora of screens for the one that his son would be on.

The boy was currently in his room, reading a book like a good lad would. Peabody frowned a touch, and panned in the screen a little bit more to see exactly what the boy was reading. The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, which Peabody knew had been a school assignment (though he didn't agree with it). So basically, Sherman had been left home alone and was so far doing his homework, or maybe he had fallen asleep during it due to his lack of movement, Peabody couldn't tell so he again zoomed in the camera. Closer, closer, closer-

"Ow!" Sherman yelped as the camera lenses suddenly bumped his head. "What the- Mr. Peabody!"

Okay, maybe that was a little too close! Abort mission and run Peabody! That's all Peabody thought as he quickly leapt from his spot in the airduct and quickly scrambled for the part in which he came with Sherman approaching his location quickly. This was bad because not only had he broken his son's trust, but he had also just reviled the location of his secret hide away all in a total of five minutes.

"I thought you said you trusted me here alone!" Sherman called, loud enough for his adoptive father to hear. "I see that was a lie! I'm so mad at you t-that I'm never talking to you again!"

Sure, this claim did make Peabody frown and feel slightly guilty, but he figured that his son didn't mean it, and would more than likely talk to him later on that night. After all, Sherman was never one to hold grudges over something so trivial. Boy, was he wrong.

* * *

"Sherman, did you finish your reading homework?" Peabody asked, just an hour and a half after the incident occurred.

Sherman did not respond, instead he just stared blankly ahead at the TV in front of him, soaking up the half hour of TV time that he was permitted by Peabody. This is what the dog passed it off as being, and headed into the kitchen to start their dinner, which was finished as soon as Sherman's cartoon had ended.

"Sherman, its time to turn off the TV now." The TV was then shut off, but the boy remained on the couch, just staring at his reflection in the now blank TV screen.

"Sherman! Dinner is ready." Peabody called to his son, expecting an answer but frowning when his son did not reply, rather he simply got up and walked to the table and sat down, all while not speaking.

Dinner was unusually slow and dull as Sherman kept his vow of silence and ate his food without complaining. Many times Peabody had attempted to start a conversation but each time Sherman would either take in another spoonful of food or another sip of his fruit punch, or even just pretend like he didn't hear his father, so Peabody eventually just gave up for now. After dinner was over, Sherman got up and silently excused himself as he went back to his room to get ready for school the next day. Meanwhile, Peabody who was growing increasingly worried, decided to follow him just to make sure that this 'silent treatment' was for real. Quietly, he entered Sherman's room and found him laying his uniform out for school the next day.

"Sherman, have you finished your homework?" Peabody asked, taking note of his son's apparent neatness when it came to his uniform. "Also, do you have that permission slip you needed me to sign for you?"

The boy turned to his father and nodded his head, then slowly turned back towards his uniform again and went back to smoothing it with his hands. So apparently the silent treatment was for real, and this brought up a new problem, which was how Peabody was going to get his boy to talk to him again. Well, this was Mr. Peabody we were talking about, so the dog always did have an ace up his sleeve. One of those plans he was about to put into action.

"Sherman, would you like to play a game?" The dog asked, folding his arms behind his back and rocking back and forth on his feet. "Perhaps the game of life?"

Of course, that game was in fact Sherman's favorite, so even in his silence, the boy still conveyed his excitement by nodding his head rapidly and smiling widely at the suggestion. Within five minutes, the two were back in the livingroom with the game board set up between them. So far, Peabody's car had already gone to collage, adopted a son, and went to jail once (scary how accurate this game was) and Sherman was just getting a move on with his High school diploma. Now, it was time to put this plan into action, and Peabody quickly withdrew a card for Sherman and handed it to him. The card read:

**'Say one thing to your father, or skip a turn.' **

Sherman studied the card for a moment, then flipped it over and grabbed a nearby pen and quickly scribbled something down and handed it back to Mr. Peabody. The dog took the card and mentally face palmed when he saw what his son had written. **'Okay, Go ahead.' **After this, Sherman handed the dice back to Peabody and the game went on like usual. The game ended with Peabody retiring first, and Sherman adopting a child of his own and getting his collage degree. The ginger haired boy then rose to his feet and walked away from the game simply, not even suggesting another round like he normally would. Well, looks like it was up to plan B.

* * *

"Sherman!" The dog called loudly for his son, rushing into the room suddenly with a device strapped to his chest. "Theres a bomb strapped to my chest and it will only deactivate if you say something to me! Please?"

Sherman stared up at the dog in shock, curiosity, and over all disappointment. He then got up from his bed and left the room promptly and closed the door. A short explosion followed, and this got the boy curious enough to crack the door and look in. If he wasn't so mad at his dad, then he would have laughed when he saw that the bomb did not contain gunpowder, rather it contained purple hair dye. Sherman instead rolled his eyes and walked away, leaving the stunned and purple dog just standing there in the room like an idiot. After recovering, the dog began to plot plan C, which involved simply calling the boy and waiting until he picked up to say hello. Even if Sherman did hang up, at least he would have talked to him.

Rushing to the livingroom, Peabody was about to pick up the phone to make the call when he stopped at the sight of a little yellow stick it, stuck to the telephone. On the note was something written in Sherman's handwriting with a frowny face next to it. It read **'Don't think about it. We have Collar ID (pun intended) :('**

"Darn. I thought that would be a good idea." Peabody muttered, picking up the phone and dialing in a number quickly.

He was never one for phone trees, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Bringing the phone to his ear, he made quick work of calling all of the parents he knew and gathering a few ideas that they had for this situation and writing them down for future reference.

**Mrs. Chien: **_Laughter is the best medicine. Maybe it'll work here too. _

**Peterson's: **_Maybe try and apologize to him?_

**Source 'Ursula' Code: **_Just leave him be and he'll snap out of it eventually. _

Well, he decided to go with that first option and set out searching for his clown make-up (never know when you'll need that you know) and began to put this plan into action as well. hopefully plan- other letter, I think D- would turn out better than the other's did. Finally finding the kit in his bowtie closet, the dog made even faster work of slapping on the funniest clown face he could think of and without even a second glance he rushed to go find Sherman, who seemed to be waiting for him in the kitchen. Upon seeing him, the boy facepalmed at the sight of the purple dog in clown make-up. Not even a chuckle escaped from him, but a snap did escape from his cellphone as he pulled it out and quickly took a photo. Peabody didn't even try to be funny after that, instead he walked over and sat down in front of his son.

"Look Sherman. I am sorry for spying on you. I know how excited you were for your first night home alone, but to be honest I was worried." Peabody began, taking note of how Sherman folded his arms and pouted. "I know you're growing up, but to me you'll always be my pup, as generic as that may seem, I mean it and as your father I worry a great deal for you."

Sherman smiled softly, but still did not speak as he waited for his father to speak again. Just then, something clicked in Peabody's brain and he thought of the perfect plan to get Sherman to speak to him again.

"I would also like to add, that if you do talk to me again, then I'll make you those chicken nuggets you're so fond of and allow you to eat them in the living room." At this, Sherman visibly perked up a bit more.

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Peabody. But I'm not convinced." Sherman said suddenly. "Throw in an extra hour of TV time and we'll have a deal."

"Of course, but first." Peabody quickly rushed over to Sherman and attempted to snatch his phone away. "Don't you dare show anyone this picture!"


End file.
